ANN ARBOR - A year ago, Michigan State rushed into Michigan's house, reached onto the mantel and grabbed the Paul Bunyan Trophy before boarding a bus back to East Lansing.

The Wolverines want to retrieve that prize, and they believe they've added enough muscle over the last year to engage in some forced entry of their own. Unbeaten and ranked No. 22, UM will seek to avoid losing consecutive games to its instate rival for the first time since the early 1960s. Both squads meet Saturday at Spartan Stadium. MSU used two fourth-quarter touchdowns last year at Ann Arbor to prevail 35-21 - its first win over the Wolverines since the memorable clock game in 2001.

"They came here and beat us [last year]," UM cornerback Donovan Warren said Saturday after UM's 36-33 win over Indiana. "They came in our house. That's like someone breaking into your house."

To steal a phrase from Mike Hart, it's like your little brother breaking into your house. Although it was a few years ago when the former UM running back referred to MSU as the Wolverines "little brother" the comment seemed to renew intensity into the rivalry. MSU coach Mark Dantonio didn't like Hart's message, responding that "It's not over. I'm going to be the coach here for a long time. It's just starting." Dantonio, in his third year at MSU, has made other critical remarks of the Wolverines, which may or may not be the reason UM coach Rich Rodriguez did not refer to Dantonio by name Saturday.

"I'm sure their coach and myself won't have any problem getting our kids focused," Rodriguez said.

With new faces at quarterback and running back, MSU has struggled early on, losing three games by a combined 13 points after defeating Montana State to open the year. The Spartans traveled to Madison, Wis., Saturday for their Big Ten opener and were beaten 38-30 by the Badgers, easily the most convincing loss of the three.

With a little more fortune, MSU would be 3-1 as Central Michigan needed to pull off a miraculous onside kick before beating the Spartans, 29-27, on Sept. 12. A week later, MSU drove down the field late in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame, only to have its hopes dashed when Kirk Cousins threw an interception at the 4-yard line, allowing the Irish to escape with a 33-30 win.

"I know they're a great team; they're better than 1-3," UM defensive tackle Ryan Van Bergen said. "We're going to be really juiced this week in practice and we're going to be able to get after them."

Though it surprised many by producing a 4-0 September, UM has not shed all of its concerns. The defense has been respectable at times, lousy at others, and freshman quarterback Tate Forcier has played poorly for most of the last two games. He will be nursing a sore shoulder this week as he prepares for his first college away game.

Asked what advice he'd offer this week to his younger teammates, Donovan Warren said to treat Saturday as a championship game but to not be intimidated by a rabid crowd.

"When I first came in the older guys like [Shawn] Crable and Jamar [Adams] instilled in me that we hate those guys over there," Warren said. "We're going to do everything we can this week in practice to be ready and be prepared come Saturday so we can outfight them."

Contact Ryan Autullo at:

rautullo@theblade.com

or 419-724-6160.