EAST LANSING - The way Michigan State QB Brian Lewerke tells it, the Michigan players were informed by strength coach Ken Mannie that the Spartans would be doing their normal pre-game walk to midfield, arms linked sideline-to-sideline, and the Wolverine players were asked to step aside. The Wolverine players were having none of that. "So we just kept walking and one of them ran into one of the guys and we just kept doing our walk," Lewerke said. "(Then we) walked down and then ran back into the tunnel. (We) didn't make it into anything bigger than it needed to be. But we saw the video of him stepping on the Spartan head." Him is Michigan linebacker Devin Bush, who took his cleats and dug into the ground near midfield, creating divots in the field while also leaving the field torn up pre-game before the Wolverines earned a 21-7 win Saturday. If you thought cooler heads would prevail in the post-game press conferences, you were very wrong. Michigan State defensive lineman Raequan Williams called Bush's antics "childish." "I guess he had a certain mindset, what he was going to do on the field," Williams said. A raucous Michigan locker room, which could be heard by reporters heading to the post-game press conference, carried over into Wolverine coach Jim Harbaugh's press conference. He asked about the pre-game incident involving Bush and the MSU players. "I just heard about it, I didn't see it," Harbaugh said. "I heard they clotheslined a few of our guys, they came out (in) their helmets. "Total bush league," Harbaugh continued. "Apparently, Coach Dantonio was 5 yards behind it, all smiling, so I think that's bush league, that's my impression of it." Dantonio did not pull any punches in his postgame presser when told Harbaugh called used the phrase "bush league" to describe the matter. "That's B.S.," Dantonio said. Dantonio then answered another question about Justin Layne before going back to Harbaugh's comment. "Bush league," Dantonio said with disgust. If you watch the pre-game video, Dantonio is roughly five yards behind the Michigan State players as they're walking, and after pushing and shoving and exchanges of words between players of the two teams, you can see Dantonio smirking. It is unclear what the smirk is related to exactly, though. "I don't know what their tactic was, but we pushed through the line," said Bush, who said he didn't remember what exact words were exchanged. "It was emotional and tense. I just got caught up in it. "It was pure emotion and I did what I did." MSU junior wide receiver Darrell Stewart Jr. said he didn't know what Harbaugh was talking about. "I don't really focus on the things he said. I'm just here to play football," Stewart said. " As for Bush? "He did what he felt like he needed to do," Stewart said. "I can't really speak on what was going through his head. I know that us, as a team, we're going to work on what we can work on and come out next week and win the game." Unfortunately for Michigan State football, to the victor goes the spoils, as the saying goes. Michigan players weren't afraid to voice their pleasure in beating their in-state rival. Talking to FOX TV postgame, U-M senior Chase Winovich brought back the "little brother" comment made famous by Mike Hart in 2007. "We knew that they couldn't hang with us. Sometimes your little brother starts acting up, and you just gotta put them in place," Winovich said. Michigan State's players, for the most part, deflected attention away from Harbaugh and Winovich's post-game comments, and Bush's pre-game antics. "They won this battle. But they didn't win the war. That's all I can say," Williams said. "They got to say what they wanted to say, they beat us." Lewerke did think Winovich's comments were not indicative of the MSU/U-M rivalry, for what it's worth. "We didn't do anything egregious last year when we won," Lewerke said. "That's something they can say all they want. It won't affect us." Contact digital sports reporter Phil Friend at 517-377-1220 or pfriend@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Phil_Friend. MORE MSU FOOTBALL:<doc-sep>Souichi Terada Special to the Detroit Free Press EAST LANSING — The Michigan State football team lost its best receiver during its rivalry game against the Michigan Wolverines. Spartans wideout Felton Davis III went down with a non-contact injury in the second quarter of Saturday's 21-7 loss at Spartan Stadium. After being looked at by trainers, Davis was carted off the field. Coach Mark Dantonio confirmed after the game the senior ruptured his Achilles' tendon on his left leg. Davis had yet to record a catch in the game, as the Michigan State offense struggled to move the ball against the nation's best pass defense. Davis has 31 receptions for 474 yards this season. He was the hero in last week's win over Penn State, hauling in the game-winning TD. The Spartans were already without starting receiver Cody White (broken hand), but third wideout Darrell Stewart Jr. returned after missing two of the past three games. He threw a TD pass to quarterback Brian Lewerke for MSU's lone touchdown vs. Michigan. More MSU-Michigan coverage: Inside the wild weather delay at Michigan-MSU game Michigan, Michigan State players share pregame trash talk<doc-sep>
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Tempers flared before Saturday's rivalry game between the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans. A Michigan spokesperson alleged MSU players clotheslined one of the Wolverines players while he was stretching, and Michigan linebacker Devin Bush was shown using his cleats to tear up the Spartans' midfield logo. Dan Murphy of ESPN.com reported spokesman David Ablauf said Michigan State didn't alert Michigan it was about to enter the stadium for its walk across the field, leading to the incidents. Here's a look at some videos of the situation: It's an important Big Ten clash, with sixth-ranked Michigan 4-0 in conference play and Michigan State 2-1, including an upset victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions last week to get back in the top 25. On Thursday, Matt Charboneau of the Detroit News provided comments from MSU head coach Mark Dantonio, who felt the rivalry had taken a positive turn in recent years. "I'll tell you one thing about the three games that we've had, '15, '16, '17, I think they have been played with great sportsmanship on the field, I really do," Dantonio said. "Everybody's playing hard and I think that's good for college football. Well-coached football teams and respect; respect what they have done." The bad blood returned Saturday, though. Video Play Button Videos you might like Meanwhile, Bush suffered an injury in the first quarter after his part in the heated pregame antics: Nick Baumgardner of the Detroit Free Press noted the linebacker later returned to the contest. The game remained scoreless late into the opening quarter, when the game was halted by a weather delay. Michigan State won last year's battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy and holds an 8-2 record over the last 10 meetings. Michigan still owns the all-time edge with a 69-36-5 mark.