ANN ARBOR, Mich. – When you live in the state of Michigan, certain parts of life become common knowledge.
You drink Vernor's when you're sick, you put a bag of salt in your trunk during the winter and you never, under any circumstances, let Wisconsin claim to be "the Mitten State."
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But for sports fans, the No. 1 rule is that Wolverines and Spartans don't like each other. Not on the basketball court, not on the baseball diamond and especially not on the football field. You don't have to be a football fan to understand the rivalry. You don't even have to be a sports fan.
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If somehow somebody didn't know about the heated rivalry, a Michigan offensive lineman made it loud and clear during his press conference appearance Monday.
When asked about Michigan State's four-game losing streak, fifth-year senior Kyle Kalis didn't hold back.
"(It) makes me happy," Kalis said. He said the Spartans and rival Ohio State are always in the back of his mind.
The Spartans have been one of the most surprising teams in the country after playing in the College Football Playoff last season. Following their impressive win over Notre Dame to improve to 2-0, the Spartans have lost to Wisconsin, Indiana, BYU and Northwestern.
The losses to Wisconin, BYU and Northwestern all came in East Lansing. Michigan State lost those three games by an average of over 18 points.
Kalis' comments come after Michigan State gave up 54 points to Northwestern in a 54-40 loss.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines rose to No. 3 in the AP Poll during their bye week. Michigan is 6-0 and ranked higher than it's been since 2006.
It's clear Michigan is a much more talented team than Michigan State this season, but anything can happen in a rivalry game.
Maybe Kalis' comments will give the Spartans a little extra fuel for Oct. 29.