ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan coach Brady Hoke said Monday that while Taylor Lewan's between-the-whistle activities against Michigan State were unacceptable, he doesn't believe the left tackle deserves a suspension.

The Big Ten is looking into a second-quarter play in Saturday's Michigan-Michigan State game in which Lewan twisted the helmet of senior safety Isaiah Lewis after the Spartans sacked quarterback Devin Gardner. Lewan received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play.

A conference sanction could follow, but Hoke said that if he believed Lewan needed a suspension, he already would have imposed one.

"He was trying, in some ways, to get our quarterback out of harm's way in a pile," Hoke said. "Some of it was he got overtaken with his emotion. And, you know, he's kind of one of those guys, as you all well know, who's a very good teammate."

But there were other examples of questionable behavior on the part of Lewan, and Hoke said that was "unacceptable."

"It's not what we want to portray or be," Hoke said. "It's not who we are."

Lewan has always been an emotional player for Michigan, and he's outspoken. In his early years with the Wolverines, he was penalized for what he referred to as "extracurricular activities" during plays. Since then, he seemed to have learned to control his emotions.

Until Saturday, at least.

"At the time I was trying to protect my teammates, trying to protect Devin," Lewan said. "Obviously I could've gone about it way different. And if I could go back and do it different, absolutely I would."