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Iowa OL learns the hard way how difficult it is to block Michigan star Aidan Hutchinson

Derek Peterson

By Derek Peterson

Published:

Aidan Hutchinson is the kind of player who can make the mundane look impressive.

Here’s a seemingly uneventful second-quarter 3rd-and-8 incompletion, in Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game between No. 2 Michigan and No. 13 Iowa, where Hutchinson doesn’t touch the quarterback and he still makes his presence felt. Hutchinson just bull-rushes his man straight into Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras’ lap.

Jack Plumb, the right tackle for Iowa on the play, is a fourth-year junior. He’s a 6-foot-7, 300-pound tackle. He’s a grown man with a full beard, if you’re looking at his player page. And Hutchinson has him on skates moving back into his quarterback. If Petras isn’t there to halt Plumb’s pursuit, Hutchinson is taking him into the stadium parking lot.

The senior edge rusher for Michigan is a sure-fire first-round draft selection in next year’s NFL Draft. The only question at this point is how high he can climb up the board. The measurables aren’t crazy, but Hutchinson’s combo of athleticism and technical ability is unmatched. His first step is unreal and his use of leverage—clearly—allows him to just overpower dudes lining up across from him.

Hutchinson entered Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game with 13 sacks on the year, a Michigan program record for a season. Even when he hasn’t gotten to the quarterback this year, he’s caused havoc in opposing backfields.

 

Derek Peterson

Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.