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Ohio State's Michael Thomas, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior from Los Angeles, caught a slant pass in the second quarter against Michigan State last season that he took 79 yards for the game-tying touchdown to tie the score at 21-21 and swing the momentum in the Buckeyes' favor. Thomas' broke the tackle of cornerback Darian Hicks on the play and ran away from outside linebacker Darien Harris.

(Mike Mulholland)

EAST LANSING -- Michigan State can add a little fuel to the fire of its evolving rivalry with Ohio State after Buckeyes receiver Michael Thomas mocked cornerback Trae Waynes being selected No. 11 overall by the Minnesota Vikings.

Thomas, who had three catches for 91 yards in Ohio State's 49-37 win at Spartan Stadium on Nov. 8, released a series of tweets after Waynes was selected on Thursday night in Chicago.

It's not the first time shots have been fired on Twitter, as tailback Ezekiel Elliott posted a picture of dead Spartans from the movie "300" after last year's game -- a tweet noted by the Detroit Free Press that Elliott later removed -- and Braxton Miller took offense at Michigan State linebacker Taiwan Jones suggesting that J.T. Barrett was a more difficult quarterback to prepare for.

Miller suggested he had never heard of Jones, a three-year starter for the Spartans, before last season's game.

CollegeSpun.com was the first to take note of Thomas' taunts toward Waynes on Thursday night, but the website suggested that because Ohio State had such great success, "Thomas can talk a little bit of trash if he wants to.''

The Spartans' secondary, the self-styled "No Fly Zone,'' has open competition at both cornerback positions while senior RJ Wiliamson and sophomore Montae Nicholson are the projected starters at safety.

Michigan State plays at Ohio State on Nov. 21 in a game many believe will determine who wins the Big Ten East Division.

The Buckeyes have been a popular preseason No. 1 pick in the early-bird polls, while the Spartans have been a consensus top 10, most often at No. 8.