Not long ago, Lions rookie Aidan Hutchinson was a wedge between Michigan and Michigan State fans, a Dearborn native who chose the Wolverines over the Spartans and later called Michigan State "poison for the soul."
Now Hutchinson wants to be the bridge.
Asked about Saturday's clash between No. 4 Michigan and Michigan State, Hutchinson smiled on Thursday and said, "I don't think I can speak too much of it. Now that I'm a Lion, I feel like I unite Michigan and Michigan State fans, so I'm not gonna speak too much on it. But I'll be tuned in, for sure."
Hutchinson squared off with the Spartans three times over his four years at Michigan, winning in 2019 and losing in 2020 and 2021. He tallied 14 tackles and one sack.
Last year's loss to Michigan State in which the officials mistakenly overturned a fumble recovered for a touchdown by Hutchinson was the only blemish on Michigan's regular season schedule. The Wolverines, who started the season unranked, went on to win the Big Ten and make the College Football Playoff.
It was a remarkable turnaround for a program coming off a 2-4 season, and an experience that Hutchinson is leaning on during his first season with the 1-5 Lions.
"I've been through this kind of thing before, just with our situaiton right now," he said. "If you refer back to my junior year at Michigan, I've experienced this before. The only thing you can do is dig yourself out, and that's what we're doing right now."
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