Page 10-The Michigan Daily- Thursday, October 10, 1991 With Hutch back, State's pain is imminent by Matt Rennie Daily Football Writer 28-27. Those numbers stick in the minds of every football player who was wearing Maize and Blue on Oct. 13, 1990. It is the score by which Michigan lost to its hated arch-rival, the Michigan State Spartans. The image of the game that most people recall is the controversial call on Michigan's failed last-minute, two-point conversion attempt. However, what the Wolverine defense remembers, the memory which still stings today, is the way Michigan was unable to stop the Spartans as they marched down the field for two long touchdown drives late in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the player with arguably the best chance to make a game-breaking play for the Wolverine defense was watching the game on television. The player who stopped the Spartans' drive at the end of the first half with an interception watched. The player who led the team in tackles for a loss watched. While the Spartans tore holes through the porous Michigan 'I don't think there's anybody that can keep Chris Hutchinson back all afternoon without holding' - Gary Moeller Michigan football coach defense, ripping through the line of scrimmage seem- ingly at will, he watched it all on television. No one could design a punishment more agonizing for Chris Hutchinson. "I felt like I let the whole defense down," Hutchinson said. "I think it would have been different if I could have played." The injury that kept Hutchinson in the, locker room during last year's Michigan State game was a re- currence of a back problemhe originally suffered in high school. He describes the injury as "a crack in one of the spines that sticks off from the vertebrate." The facet of the injury that is both strange and frustrating for Hutchinson is its randomness. It can flare up at any time, regardless of contact. For exam- ple, in that Michigan State game of a year ago, he didn't experience pain immediately after returning the inter- ception, as many had thought. Instead, he felt the ef- fects as he was heading to the lockerroom at halftime. "I got kind of twisted when I got tackled (after the interception), but I didn't feel anything when I ran to the bench," Hutchinson said. "But when I was running into the tunnel at halftime, I got to the top of the tun- nel, and my leg went numb." Hutchinson missed the rest of the season, and head- ing into pre-season practice this year, he thought he would never play football again. During his only at- tempt at running over the summer, his leg went numb as it had during the State game. Wolverine coach Gary Moeller felt that, because of the injury, he shouldn't count on any contribution from Hutchinson this sea- son. What made the injury so infuriating for Moeller was that he knew the potential of a healthy world." Hutchinson quickly learned that in order to succeed, he had to close his eyes temporarily to much of thO world, most notably his social life. "During the season, there's only two things in my life: football and academics, and I want to give both 100 percent," Hutchinson said. "It's definitely a bal- ancing act." As an academic all-Big Ten selection, Hutchinson is performing the act quite well. A kinesiology major, he has his eyes set on medical school. Over the summer, he witnessed several surgeries at the University hospital, and after returning to Texas, actually scrubbed up and assisted in some surgical work. "The funny thing was, one time it was a back surgery," Hutchinson said. "And the doctor would show me, 'Here's what's wrong with you."' Although a senior academically, Hutchinson has an- other year of eligibility, which he will use if his back permits. However, while many college football play- ers can't imagine life without the game, Hutchinson ac- 'I tell my friends back home about the war protests on the Diag, and4 they really can't believe it. Coming here has opened my eyes to the rest of the world' - Chris Hutchinson Michigan defensive end tually greets the possibility with open arms. "I've really been looking forward to it," he said. "It would be nice not to have to schedule 8 o'clock just to get around practice. Plus, I could do m homework during the afternoon and see my friends at night." But for now, he has only one thing on his mind: tak- ing care of last year's unfinished business. Hutchinson and his teammates have shown steady improvement all season. "At the beginning of the season, there were a lot of people saying that we weren't getting enough sacks," Hutchinson said. "But after that, we hit (Florida State quarterback Casey) Weldon and (Iowa's Mat@ Rodgers a lot, and we hit them hard." Moeller attributes a large part of the front seven's success to his left tackle. "I don't think there's anybody that can keep Chris Hutchinson back all afternoon without holding,". Moeller said. With last year's game hanging over his head, Hutchinson is hoping to have his biggest game yet Saturday. "(Defensive) Coach (Lloyd) Carr said to me, 'You better not ever get hurt again in a Michigan Stat game,"' Hutchinson said. "He said it jokingly, but I still feel responsible. It's been one of my main focuses all summer." 28-27. For 365 days, Hutchinson has had to live with the image of those numbers flashing on the bottom of a television screen. This Saturday, Hutchinson is planning on a change in programming. Wolverine defensive lineman Chris Hutchinson chalks up a sack in last season's 38-15 victory over UCLA. The redshirt-junior anxiously awaits Saturday's Michigan State game to avenge last year's one-point loss. Hutchinson. "When he's healthy, he's as good a defensive tackle as there is in the Big Ten," Moeller said before the sea- son. To Moeller's delight, Hutchinson survived pre-sea- son drills and has started every game this season. Still, the 6-foot-2, 260-pound senior must live with the pos- sibility of injury hanging over his head. "One day, it will be a little better, and the next day, it will be little worse," Hutchinson said. "There's nothing I can do about it. It's just one of those things I have to deal with." This constant day-to-day health status takes its toll on Hutchinson. "It's definitely an emotional strain," he said. "I've become hypersensitive to it because people are always asking me, 'How's the back?"' Hutchinson's outlook on life better equips him to deal with the injury. Growing up in Texas, where foot- ball is a religion, he was surrounded by people whose lives were measured in four downs. Consequently, his decision to leave the state for college did not go over well. "A lot of people were disappointed when I left the state," Hutchinson said. "They want to keep their tal- ent at home." When Hutchinson reflects on his days in the Lone Star State, he is content with his decision to leave home. "When I talk to some of my high school friends who stayed at home, I wish they could experience life in another state," he said. "I think the fact that foot- ball is so intense down there really does a lot of dam- age." Hutchinson decided to come to Michigan primarily because his parents were originally from the area, but once he arrived in Ann Arbor, he found the environ- ment rewarding. "In the Southwest Conference, there's only one school that's outside of the state (of Texas)," Hutchinson said. "Here, you're exposed to so much more. I tell my friends back home about the war protests on the Diag, and they really can't believe it. "Coming here has opened my eyes to the rest of the t I AIP-4 W17- A /V&' ~ irM ~ A.. 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