Michigan Wolverines football sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has a better understanding of the U-M/Michigan State rivalry than most, seeing as how he grew up in Dearborn 20 minutes from Ann Arbor, and his father played in the annual showdown from 1989-92.
Hutchinson saw limited action as a backup in last year’s 21-7 Michigan victory, but is expected to take the field as a starter on Saturday and play a significant role in stopping the Spartans’ offensive attack.
“I came in as a backup last year and only saw a couple plays,” he recalled. “I’m expecting to do some big things in this year’s game, and I can’t wait.
“No one has really told me anything [about what it’s like to start in the matchup], because I think they realize I know this rivalry better than anyone.
“My dad played here, this is my second year here at U-M and I’ve lived 20 minutes from here. This rivalry isn’t just on Saturday — it’s all year round with everyone from the state of Michigan.
“This rivalry has been huge my whole life, because I’ve always been watching Michigan football. I know what the game is and I know what the rivalry is like, so I’m just ready to go out there and play.
“It intensifies the rivalry even more, because you watch and get a feel for it. When you’re actually in it, you’re hitting them and talking a little bit, so that’s when things intensify.
“There will obviously be some stuff after the whistle. I’m expecting it, because of how this rivalry has been in the past. I’m ready.”
Michigan State’s offense has struggled mightily this season, ranking 96th nationally in yards per game (365.9), 106th in rushing (130.8) and 65th in passing (235).
While fifth-year senior quarterback Brian Lewerke has had his fair share of ups and downs this year, he hurt the Wolverines with his legs in 2017 when he compiled 61 yards on the ground and a score en route to MSU’s 14-10 victory.
Lewerke has added another 265 yards this season and is MSU’s second leading rusher on the year.
“This team [Michigan] has done a great job of containing quarterbacks,” Hutchinson exclaimed. “Last year we saw some break out and run for 20, 30 yards on us, but that has been one of our main focuses this season.
“We’ve done a good job of containing them and not letting them get too far, and keeping them in the pocket.
“Our defense has grown with every game. Looking back at where we were against Middle Tennessee State to Maryland [last Saturday], we’re playing more sound and more together as a defense. We’re also developing a lot more trust with each other.”
Head coach Jim Harbaugh singled out Michigan State’s trickeration this afternoon, however, and referred to Spartan head man Mark Dantonio as a ‘master motivator.’
MSU has gained a bit of a reputation for its successful use of trick plays under Dantonio, and Harbaugh admitted extra preparation has been done by the Wolverines in that area as a result.
“We’ll run it a couple times, but watching their games, they keep it pretty basic in what they do,” the sophomore revealed. “They use a lot of split zone, bluff and tight zone.
“We see that every single day in us, so it’s nothing new. In regards to their trick plays, we just have to react and play to them.”
Notes
• It’s not uncommon for the Wolverine athletes to have friends and former high school teammates playing for the Spartans, especially for the local players who grew up in the state of Michigan.
“One of my best friends is one of the quarterbacks there — [redshirt freshman] Theo Day,” Hutchinson revealed. “He called me after the Illinois game and was pretty frustrated.
“The talking has definitely started between me and him. I don’t know if I can tell you guys what he said — some words were said between us, and he was talking a little bit about the game.”
• When Michigan beat MSU, 21-7, last year on the Spartans’ home turf, the game was perhaps best remembered for the pregame incidents that occurred beforehand.
For those who don’t remember, the MSU players’ pregame field walk resulted in cornerback Lavert Hill getting clotheslined and having his headphones ripped off, which was followed by linebacker Devin Bush’s retaliation on the midfield Spartan logo.
“It’s obviously Michigan State, maybe our biggest rival,” Hutchinson exclaimed. “We just treat it as another game — there’s no point in hyping it up, because everyone just plays out of their heads.
“We play it like we play every game.”
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