Photo by: Matthew Mitchell/MSU Athletic Communications
Harlon Barnett Press Conference Coverage
10/23/2023 4:54:00 PM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State interim head coach Harlon Barnett held a press conference Monday inside the Spartan Stadium North End Zone Media Center to preview the upcoming game against Minnesota.
Michigan State (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) travels to Minneapolis to take on the Gophers (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) Saturday, Oct. 28. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
MICHIGAN STATE-NEBRASKA GAME TIME ANNOUNCED: The Big Ten Conference announced on Monday that the Michigan State-Nebraska game on Saturday, Nov. 4 in East Lansing will start at 12 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on FS1.
Harlon Barnett press conference transcript:
Opening statement…
We watched the film; it wasn't very nice. The 24-hour rule has passed, and we're focused on Minnesota. I'm open for questions.
How did the players respond in practice…
Once again, they came out, and you'll think I'm just losing my mind, but they came out and were ready to go, they're focused on the next deal, they're communicating and they're doing what we asked for them to do. It's a positive and we must keep going.
On what did he learn from the film that he didn't know...
They (Michigan) did what they did to be honest with you, they did not change much, they were who we thought they were. For the players, the moment might've been too big for them because we're young in some areas, it's another learning experience; we already had one with Washington playing a top 10 team, you would think we learned a bit more than we have. It's all a part of the experience and they're getting better.
Comments on if there's any players who will be entering the portal…
There is one guy. That young man was Simeon Barrow, it wasn't a big shock, we been having discussions with him over the last several weeks. He has been up front with us the whole time, so he is the one who will hop in there.
Comments on Houser struggles against Michigan…
First, with Katin, when we watch quarterback play you got to watch everything and notice everything that's not all on the quarterback. That was his second game and he played really, really well in the Rutgers game, I think, not quite as well in this game but it's not all on him, his teammates must step up and do their job as well. He's still our guy.
Will there be more opportunities for Sam Leavitt…
Sure, there's opportunities for Sam, he's a good player who were going to continue to evaluate and look at throughout the week and we will see where that goes. Katin is still the starting quarterback.
On if Leavitt will take a redshirt or play out the year…
It's something we haven't discussed with him and I, but I think he does plan to play out the year, he loves to play football, so I haven't heard anything about redshirting yet. I was talking to the team last week and I was like, you all crack me up with the redshirt opportunity because a lot of you all don't even like school, why are you going to add another year of school, what are you saying. A lot of guys want to go to the league in three years then you talk about adding a redshirt year, I'm like where is this coming from. But I haven't heard from him (Leavitt) about it, I might have to talk to him. I just know he loves the game of football.
What does he see in Leavitt that stands out compared to Houser…
Sam is very confident, he doesn't lack confidence and you love that about him, and it's not like other guys aren't, but he is a confident young man. As you can see, he can run and throw it, a good football player and we will see where that leads.
Barrow's thoughts that went into his decision…
I like to keep the private conversations, private conversations.
What he learned from the Minnesota game last year…
They can run the football, RPO off the run actions, that was their game last year versus us. That's what they're trying to do again this year even though they have a different quarterback. Defensively against their offense you're going to see a lot of the same things, good run game, good quarterbacks, and receivers that understand the whole system. Their defense is going to crowd the line of scrimmage and force you to throw the ball and try to stop the run. A well-coached team, coach Fleck has been there for a while, he has his system in place, and they know what he wants, and they get it done.
Thoughts on Michigan scoring with eight seconds left and will he remember it…
I told our guys on the headset, they're trying to score, I said that multiple times. I'm not surprised at all. I will always remember it; I'll remember everything about that game.
On how he's holding up following fifth straight loss…
The 24-hour rule I try to hold to that, sometimes it will go to 28 or 29, but today I'm doing fine. I'm one of those people who will keep fighting, that's all I know, I will never give up, you'll have to kill me to stop me. That's the way I look at it, that's how I try to get the team to be and we're going to keep bouncing back and give it everything we got. It's not easy because I hate losing, I hate losing, but it's a process that we're going through, no excuses and we're going to try to go out there and get a win against Minnesota this weekend.
Is it tough for coaches whose future is unknown after the next few weeks…
I'm sure it is for them and their families. From my personal perspective, it's your source, I know who my source is, and I never get too stressed out about that because He's taken care of me for so long throughout the years. That's how I personally approach it, I can speak for everybody and their families, but I know He will cover us all and I'm praying for everybody and their families that He continues to provide and protect each and everyone of them.
What's the message to the team to get a win…
We still have to finish; I will stick with the same thing. I will still say discipline, everybody doing their job and part of doing your job is pre-snap communication, post-snap communication then we talk about special teams, maximum effort, offense must score, defense force three and outs and takeaways and finish. We will continue to pound that into them. They understand it, they just must do it and we got to pound it into them and that's the message.
When will Barrow enter the portal and will he be available on Saturday…
I think he may be gone; I think he's going to jump in personally. I wish him nothing but the best.
What he remembers from 2016 that he can apply to this situation…
That was tough, that was tough because we couldn't figure out what was going on and it feels like that now, what is going on? All you can do is try to get better, I said to the coaching staff this morning lets keep coaching these guys and make them better, getting better week to week and we will see the results we're looking for. Don't give up, keep fighting, and keep pushing.
Is this a character game against Minnesota…
It really is, I believe that, absolutely. This game is a game about the guys who are out there playing for us, you know they're Spartans. They want to be here and give it everything they have. Kudos to these guys who are sticking with us, who are still fighting and pushing through showing great resilience. This is a game that will in a lot of ways define the 2023 season.
On the running game and the depth behind Carter…
Jalen (Berger) will probably be done for the rest of the year, I'm not going to give specifics, but you saw him coming off the field and we wish him nothing but the best for him and his healing. It was good to see Jaren Mangham out there running hard, a big body changeup back compared to Nate. It was encouraging seeing him out there running the football.
Players who have stepped up during the rough times…
Our leaders have been Tre Mosley, J.D. Duplain, Nick Samac, Derrick Harmon has been really good, Angelo Grose, even though Cal Haladay doesn't say much he demands a lot of respect. Those guys are doing a good job at keeping us together and pushing us forward.
How it was having recruits on campus over the weekend…
It was good pregame; it was good seeing all those guys here showing genuine interest on being at Michigan State. I didn't get a chance to see a lot of them after the game, obviously they're thinking "I don't want to go in there (locker room) now," but, at the same time you can look at it from a recruit as, "I can go there and help." That's the way I try to look at it in regards of recruiting and it was good seeing all those guys here.
Benefit of seeing similarities carryover that the team implemented last week to get back on track this week…
It is a benefit, you don't have many changes in the plan, you just got to execute the plan better. Wrap and squeeze when you're tackling, run through contact, we must do that because they're (Minnesota) good at running the football.
On how the linebackers are with the limited depth…
They're holding up well, we're trying to take care of them throughout the course of the week, they're veterans now where Jordan Hall is starting to become a veteran. We tried to take off as much pounding as possible off them especially during this time of the year. They're smart, they're still getting reps and we're praying for health.
On Samac and Spencer Brown frustration and will Spencer miss the first half of the next game…
I haven't heard either (On Brown possibly being suspended) yet to be honest with you (note: Brown was suspended by the Big Ten on Wednesday for the first half against Minnesota). We talked about keeping your cool when you get frustrated because that's life, that's going to happen in life. You can't operate off emotions, that was a life lesson for those guys, and I believed they received it.
On back-to-back penalties and not being able to win games with penalties…
No question, we cannot, they understand that. Like I said on Saturday after the game, we had 11 versus Washington and 11 against these guys (Michigan) who were both top 10 teams. You can't do that. You got to be able to rise to the occasion and play discipline football. Physical and discipline that's what we talked about, being physical and discipline throughout the entire game and we just didn't do it. No excuses, we got to get better at it, got to get better at it.
What's causing the penalties and team being undisciplined…
Probably trying to do too much. The game was a big game, I hate trying to guess what those guys were thinking and get in their heads, but I do know as a former player that when you have these situations you live for these situations. This is why you do what you do, you don't come here to play little sisters of the poor, right, you come here to play games like this past weekend and the Washington game. So when those times come it should bring a smile on your face, enthusiasm, excitement, passion all of that, then being able to play a smart, physical, tough, discipline football game. Our guys are learning, we're young in some areas and hopefully all this experience pays off in the future.
On defensive tackle depth without Barrow…
We still have Derrick Harmon, we still have Jalen Sami, Maverick Hansen, Ken Talley must go in there. We have those guys available, and we'll use what we have at our disposal. They'll go in there and grind and fight do whatever they got to do to help us succeed.
Michigan State (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) travels to Minneapolis to take on the Gophers (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) Saturday, Oct. 28. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
MICHIGAN STATE-NEBRASKA GAME TIME ANNOUNCED: The Big Ten Conference announced on Monday that the Michigan State-Nebraska game on Saturday, Nov. 4 in East Lansing will start at 12 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on FS1.
Harlon Barnett press conference transcript:
Opening statement…
We watched the film; it wasn't very nice. The 24-hour rule has passed, and we're focused on Minnesota. I'm open for questions.
How did the players respond in practice…
Once again, they came out, and you'll think I'm just losing my mind, but they came out and were ready to go, they're focused on the next deal, they're communicating and they're doing what we asked for them to do. It's a positive and we must keep going.
On what did he learn from the film that he didn't know...
They (Michigan) did what they did to be honest with you, they did not change much, they were who we thought they were. For the players, the moment might've been too big for them because we're young in some areas, it's another learning experience; we already had one with Washington playing a top 10 team, you would think we learned a bit more than we have. It's all a part of the experience and they're getting better.
Comments on if there's any players who will be entering the portal…
There is one guy. That young man was Simeon Barrow, it wasn't a big shock, we been having discussions with him over the last several weeks. He has been up front with us the whole time, so he is the one who will hop in there.
Comments on Houser struggles against Michigan…
First, with Katin, when we watch quarterback play you got to watch everything and notice everything that's not all on the quarterback. That was his second game and he played really, really well in the Rutgers game, I think, not quite as well in this game but it's not all on him, his teammates must step up and do their job as well. He's still our guy.
Will there be more opportunities for Sam Leavitt…
Sure, there's opportunities for Sam, he's a good player who were going to continue to evaluate and look at throughout the week and we will see where that goes. Katin is still the starting quarterback.
On if Leavitt will take a redshirt or play out the year…
It's something we haven't discussed with him and I, but I think he does plan to play out the year, he loves to play football, so I haven't heard anything about redshirting yet. I was talking to the team last week and I was like, you all crack me up with the redshirt opportunity because a lot of you all don't even like school, why are you going to add another year of school, what are you saying. A lot of guys want to go to the league in three years then you talk about adding a redshirt year, I'm like where is this coming from. But I haven't heard from him (Leavitt) about it, I might have to talk to him. I just know he loves the game of football.
What does he see in Leavitt that stands out compared to Houser…
Sam is very confident, he doesn't lack confidence and you love that about him, and it's not like other guys aren't, but he is a confident young man. As you can see, he can run and throw it, a good football player and we will see where that leads.
Barrow's thoughts that went into his decision…
I like to keep the private conversations, private conversations.
What he learned from the Minnesota game last year…
They can run the football, RPO off the run actions, that was their game last year versus us. That's what they're trying to do again this year even though they have a different quarterback. Defensively against their offense you're going to see a lot of the same things, good run game, good quarterbacks, and receivers that understand the whole system. Their defense is going to crowd the line of scrimmage and force you to throw the ball and try to stop the run. A well-coached team, coach Fleck has been there for a while, he has his system in place, and they know what he wants, and they get it done.
Thoughts on Michigan scoring with eight seconds left and will he remember it…
I told our guys on the headset, they're trying to score, I said that multiple times. I'm not surprised at all. I will always remember it; I'll remember everything about that game.
On how he's holding up following fifth straight loss…
The 24-hour rule I try to hold to that, sometimes it will go to 28 or 29, but today I'm doing fine. I'm one of those people who will keep fighting, that's all I know, I will never give up, you'll have to kill me to stop me. That's the way I look at it, that's how I try to get the team to be and we're going to keep bouncing back and give it everything we got. It's not easy because I hate losing, I hate losing, but it's a process that we're going through, no excuses and we're going to try to go out there and get a win against Minnesota this weekend.
Is it tough for coaches whose future is unknown after the next few weeks…
I'm sure it is for them and their families. From my personal perspective, it's your source, I know who my source is, and I never get too stressed out about that because He's taken care of me for so long throughout the years. That's how I personally approach it, I can speak for everybody and their families, but I know He will cover us all and I'm praying for everybody and their families that He continues to provide and protect each and everyone of them.
What's the message to the team to get a win…
We still have to finish; I will stick with the same thing. I will still say discipline, everybody doing their job and part of doing your job is pre-snap communication, post-snap communication then we talk about special teams, maximum effort, offense must score, defense force three and outs and takeaways and finish. We will continue to pound that into them. They understand it, they just must do it and we got to pound it into them and that's the message.
When will Barrow enter the portal and will he be available on Saturday…
I think he may be gone; I think he's going to jump in personally. I wish him nothing but the best.
What he remembers from 2016 that he can apply to this situation…
That was tough, that was tough because we couldn't figure out what was going on and it feels like that now, what is going on? All you can do is try to get better, I said to the coaching staff this morning lets keep coaching these guys and make them better, getting better week to week and we will see the results we're looking for. Don't give up, keep fighting, and keep pushing.
Is this a character game against Minnesota…
It really is, I believe that, absolutely. This game is a game about the guys who are out there playing for us, you know they're Spartans. They want to be here and give it everything they have. Kudos to these guys who are sticking with us, who are still fighting and pushing through showing great resilience. This is a game that will in a lot of ways define the 2023 season.
On the running game and the depth behind Carter…
Jalen (Berger) will probably be done for the rest of the year, I'm not going to give specifics, but you saw him coming off the field and we wish him nothing but the best for him and his healing. It was good to see Jaren Mangham out there running hard, a big body changeup back compared to Nate. It was encouraging seeing him out there running the football.
Players who have stepped up during the rough times…
Our leaders have been Tre Mosley, J.D. Duplain, Nick Samac, Derrick Harmon has been really good, Angelo Grose, even though Cal Haladay doesn't say much he demands a lot of respect. Those guys are doing a good job at keeping us together and pushing us forward.
How it was having recruits on campus over the weekend…
It was good pregame; it was good seeing all those guys here showing genuine interest on being at Michigan State. I didn't get a chance to see a lot of them after the game, obviously they're thinking "I don't want to go in there (locker room) now," but, at the same time you can look at it from a recruit as, "I can go there and help." That's the way I try to look at it in regards of recruiting and it was good seeing all those guys here.
Benefit of seeing similarities carryover that the team implemented last week to get back on track this week…
It is a benefit, you don't have many changes in the plan, you just got to execute the plan better. Wrap and squeeze when you're tackling, run through contact, we must do that because they're (Minnesota) good at running the football.
On how the linebackers are with the limited depth…
They're holding up well, we're trying to take care of them throughout the course of the week, they're veterans now where Jordan Hall is starting to become a veteran. We tried to take off as much pounding as possible off them especially during this time of the year. They're smart, they're still getting reps and we're praying for health.
On Samac and Spencer Brown frustration and will Spencer miss the first half of the next game…
I haven't heard either (On Brown possibly being suspended) yet to be honest with you (note: Brown was suspended by the Big Ten on Wednesday for the first half against Minnesota). We talked about keeping your cool when you get frustrated because that's life, that's going to happen in life. You can't operate off emotions, that was a life lesson for those guys, and I believed they received it.
On back-to-back penalties and not being able to win games with penalties…
No question, we cannot, they understand that. Like I said on Saturday after the game, we had 11 versus Washington and 11 against these guys (Michigan) who were both top 10 teams. You can't do that. You got to be able to rise to the occasion and play discipline football. Physical and discipline that's what we talked about, being physical and discipline throughout the entire game and we just didn't do it. No excuses, we got to get better at it, got to get better at it.
What's causing the penalties and team being undisciplined…
Probably trying to do too much. The game was a big game, I hate trying to guess what those guys were thinking and get in their heads, but I do know as a former player that when you have these situations you live for these situations. This is why you do what you do, you don't come here to play little sisters of the poor, right, you come here to play games like this past weekend and the Washington game. So when those times come it should bring a smile on your face, enthusiasm, excitement, passion all of that, then being able to play a smart, physical, tough, discipline football game. Our guys are learning, we're young in some areas and hopefully all this experience pays off in the future.
On defensive tackle depth without Barrow…
We still have Derrick Harmon, we still have Jalen Sami, Maverick Hansen, Ken Talley must go in there. We have those guys available, and we'll use what we have at our disposal. They'll go in there and grind and fight do whatever they got to do to help us succeed.
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