When Alabama running back Derrick Henry won the Heisman Trophy, a pair of Michigan State defenders piped up.

We’re going to hit him “harder than we’ve ever hit anyone else,” linebacker John Reschke proclaimed. Leading tackler Riley Bullough also expressed his excitement to Henry via Twitter.

Henry shrugged off those comments when asked about them Sunday.

“That’s the attitude you have to have on defense,” Henry said, according to AL.com.

Fellow running back Kenyan Drake, a senior, wasn’t nearly as diplomatic.

“You have to show us better than you can tell us,” Drake said. “We’ll see on the field.”

Michigan State linebacker Darien Harris (not Alabama running back Damien Harris) responded thusly, according to AL.com: “It’s not every day you get to play a Heisman Trophy winner. When you’re so passionate about the game, when you’re talking about the game, sometimes your emotions get the better of you but I think it was all in good fun and respect.”

To be fair, Henry insulted Michigan State to a greater degree — maybe even more than Sports Illustrated, which spelled Spartans coach Mark Dantoio’s name incorrectly on Twitter. In a live interview on ESPN after the College Football Playoff pairings were announced, Henry referenced Alabama’s opponent as “Michigan.”

“You can’t get no worse than that,” Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun said.

Whether either team needs it, there appears to be at least a semblance of bulletin board material prior to Thursday’s game.

Expect some loud pad-popping when Alabama hands the ball to Henry, though it remains to be seen which side will hit harder.