Donovan Warren was sitting in the airport last January, about to fly home to California to celebrate his 20th birthday, when a Michigan State fan accosted him in his seat.

"I had nothing Michigan on, but a guy just came up to me and said, 'We're going to beat your (butt) this year again,'" Warren recalled. "I said, 'What?' He was like, 'Yeah, those Wolverines, we’re going to give it to you again.'"

Three years after he arrived on campus oblivious to the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry, Warren is well-versed on what’s at stake this weekend when the Spartans host the Wolverines.

For 22nd-ranked Michigan, a 5-0 start and pole position in the Big Ten race. For 1-3 MSU, a chance to salvage the season. For both teams, bragging rights for the next 365 days.

When MSU won at Michigan Stadium last year for the first time since 1990, Warren said it felt “like somebody breaking in your house.” Now, the Wolverines are out for revenge.

“It’s like, I don’t try to use a comparison, but your big brother, little brother, fighting and beating you up,” Warren said. “It’s like you’re going to do whatever you have to do to win the fight and get your revenge back. That’s kind of how I feel and how I’m going to let the team know I feel about this week.”

Warren has been Michigan’s steadiest cornerback through the first month of the season. He leads the Wolverines with four pass break-ups and had the game-clinching interception last week against Indiana, but hasn’t been thrown at much over the last two weeks.

He’s also the only member of the Wolverines’ thin secondary to ever play a game at Spartan Stadium. As a true freshman, Warren made six tackles in a 28-24 Michigan win.

“That was a great experience, “ Warren said. “That was my first big, big road game where the crowd was into it, the crowd was loud, we had to just be on our A game as far as communicating. Just the intensity was a lot different and more physical."

This weekend, Warren expects more of the same.

“We’re going up there to Lansing, trying to get the Paul Bunyan (trophy) back from those guys,” Warren said. “We’re definitely going to have a chip on our shoulders, let all these young guys know this is for real.”

Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.