Harlon Barnett Press Conference Coverage
10/9/2023 4:31:00 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 Rutgers.
Michigan State (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) travels to Rutgers (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) on Saturday, Oct. 14 to face the Scarlet Knights at 12 p.m. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Harlon Barnett Press Conference Transcript:
Introduction…
Good afternoon everybody, I'm glad you guys are here. We're back at it after a week off. We gave our guys a couple of days off as well as practiced last week, we had off Monday, practice Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and took Friday and Saturday off. We're back at it today, the guys looked good, they were energized, they looked refreshed and ready to go to finish these last seven weeks of the season with a bang. We're starting off against Rutgers, a good Rutgers team, and a well-coached Rutgers team.
On the starting QB direction…
Great question, we're still evaluating it and we got a good competition going on. I'm doing my (Bill) Belichick again (smiling), it's going to be good, guys know where they stand and what's going to happen. We'll just leave it at that for now.
On did the bye week helped get players healthy…
Absolutely, it came at a great time for us, we got more guys back and you should see more guys back out on the field on Saturday running around hitting people.
What story does the team want to fight for…
We're going to fight for the respect, and the honor of wearing a Spartan uniform. We understand we're representing so many people, but at the end of the day, it's about us in the locker room and trusting one another, being unified, and believing to go out and win each game that's left on our schedule. We continue to have that kind of mindset going throughout the season, we will be fine.
How much the team could use a victory…
A lot. I think it will be great for us to get a win for the guys. Winning does a lot for people and we definitely need to get that done, we want to get that done, we're all striving to get that done. So, to answer your question, it would do a lot for us, I think. The guys are still working hard there was enthusiasm and energy at practice this morning, I just want to see it for them.
Does he want everyone to know the starting QB, or does he not know yet…
Because we don't want anyone to know, kind of. We know what we're going to do, and we feel good about it, you'll see on Saturday.
Deficiencies that were seen beyond the QB play and how the defense looked against Iowa keeping the team in the game…
They (the defense) looked good; it looked like what you saw with a naked eye, when we reviewed the film some opportunities on the defense were, picks. I can see Malik and I can see Cal, opportunities, opportunities, opportunities, we talked about going into the game, there's going to be opportunities and we got to take advantage of those opportunities. We did on some, Grose had a great interception, Cal had a touchdown when the ball popped out when Simeon Barrow knocked the ball out and Cal ran for a touchdown, awesome, but you're never satisfied. Now if Malik catches that interception, if Cal catches that interception, those types of things would have contributed for us winning the ball game as well, we got to take advantage of all opportunities when they present themselves.
Thoughts on the run game and Carter reaching 100 yards three times this year…
I love the run game. I'm still old school in that way where you must run the football and then stop the run. That's still football, I know people don't think that because everyone is slinging the ball around, but you still must run the football and stop the run. The way we're running the ball on offense is outstanding. The turnovers, we got to cut down on turnovers. We do that, we win the last two games because we outgained them in yards and time of possession. But the turnover battle is what got us, we must start creating turnovers on defense and stop giving turnovers on offense.
On addressing discipline…
Last week we got a penalty report after practice, we started stressing that in the team meeting, if you were on the penalty report we will put that on the screen in the meeting room with your name. You'll have to stand up and read out loud the definition of the penalty and do 10 push-ups in front of the whole team in the team meeting. That is something we're starting to put more emphasis on, that we're starting to do. Anything that'll help, we'll continue to do that and hope it helps, if not, we'll find something else to do. We must cut down on the penalties and beating ourselves because that's what we've been doing the past couple games.
If he took anytime to re-evaluate or get away from everything in the last four weeks…
I went recruiting on Friday, so, Saturday was the day I got to kick back for a little bit and hang out with my wife. But, that was the most downtime I had was Saturday to think about it for a little bit, I had coach Dantonio call me earlier in the week and said, "just think about what's going on with you, you just got thrown right into it, it's not like you got hired in December or January and had nine months to build up into the season." I never even thought about it until he said it, because it was just, go, and I'm not an excuse maker, so, it was, this is what we're in, let's go beat Washington, let's go beat everybody. But when you get a chance to sit back and think about it, you say, "okay, I know what the situation is, let's learn from it and let's get better from it." I told the guys today, we have seven weeks to go, let's execute everything that we do, on the field and off the field, going to class, being on time to class, going to tutors, all of that because that shows up on the field. Being on time for meetings, everything that we need to do, eliminate penalties, so that's where my mind went to help us finish strong these last seven games. I say we're at 0-0 right now we got a clean slate, its 0-0 right now, let's go knock these next seven out with everything we have.
On if he watched football on Saturday…
Of course, I'm crazy like that. College football is fun to watch, and you see things people are doing and it's just fun to watch, I love football and that's how it is for me. I also watched the Equalizer 3 – I like Equalizer movies.
The way the Iowa game transpired and the loss against Maryland, how does he kept the players head together in those type of situations and keep them engaged…
That's a great question, showing them and truly showing them how close we are, they see it for themselves. You show certain points in the game and you see them shaking their head saying "we're right there" they can see it for themselves and you just keep showing it over and over hoping that it gets stuck in so much so that when those times come in the next game, that they're remembering, reminding each other, coaching each other on things and not beat ourselves, let's execute, let's focus even more that's what you're hoping for. You continue show it to them that they're right there and it's not no fairy tale and making things up, they're seeing it for themselves, yeah, we are right there. That's why they keep believing, keep trying, and keep giving everything they have.
Worried about a checkout factor after a week off or are players revitalized…
They're revitalized, after seeing today's practice, revitalized. I would think about the checkout factor would be by Iowa, but now after Iowa, I think they're all in. We never really had a checkout factor prior to Iowa or after, when I saw that I said, "let's go," they're ready to go, seven weeks, seven weeks.
Does uncertainty at the QB position does it affect the locker room dynamic…
The guys know they just want to win, and they know we're going to give them the best opportunity to win with quarterback, or any other position, for that matter. They're all teammates, they all root for each other and they all know that the best players play and we're all competing for our jobs. So, I don't think there's a split in the locker room, guys just want to win football games, that's all it boils down to and not just the quarterback, it's all positions. We showed things were everybody could have done something better and made plays. It's not just the quarterback, they understand that the quarterback is not different, the best player plays.
Has anyone else jumped in the portal since the Iowa game…
I'm not going to lie here, something is not out there, but now I have to say it since you asked that question, but I don't want to answer that, but I will (smiling). This morning Jordon Simmons came and said he's going to jump in the portal, with that being said, he's off the team. It wasn't nothing bad, he went home and talked to his parents during the bye week and said that's fine and this is what he has available to him.
How different recruiting is in this situation…
The guys I went to see, one was committed, and one was previous committed, but they both were great. The one that is still committed he was good; they're just waiting it out and see what happens. The other who de-committed he said, "coach if you're there, I'm there." I said, I understand, he's trying to make sure with his family and letting others know that he could be going somewhere else. It can be tough because you don't know what's going to happen and that's where they are, and you must understand their situation. They chose Michigan State, it's a great place and I'm going to sell Michigan State regardless, if I'm here or not here, they can't go wrong in my opinion. You just have to find a way to talk to people and make them understand, keep riding it out, be patient with us, and let's see what happens.
Any injuries updates on Carr or any other players that missed the game against Iowa to be back this weekend…
I do. Yes, Maliq is one of them.
On facing Rutgers QB Wimsatt and Kyle Monangai last year…
They're good football players, they understand the scheme Rutgers is running and Rutgers' put them in position to be able to use their talent to the best of their ability. Good players, well-coached team and coach Schiano been doing it for a long time, they know what they're doing.
On whom has been good leaders…
Tre Mosley, Simeon Barrow, J.D. Duplain, Cal Haladay, Nick Samac, those guys are doing a tremendous job, Darius Snow now that he's coming back, Jacoby Windmon. We talk about a player-led team being better than a coach-led team and those guys are really stepping up. In fact, today after practice, Darius wanted a few minutes with the team himself and he shared some things himself and we as coaches stepped away and let him share, that was good. Leadership has stepped up, especially in a time like this, it's crucial and they're getting it done.
On players sharing the same mindset as him…
I continue to tell them that I believe we can win every game left on our schedule and I truly believe it. You can feel a person when they're saying something to believes in it or not. That's how I always been, that's how I am, that's how I'm built and I'm always going to be that way. They understand, they're mindset are in a great place right now. We just need to accomplish on getting a win so when that happens, we can catch momentum, build more confidence, and start playing even better.
On if the quarterback competition is over for this week…
Is it over for this week, possibly.
How bad does he need a win…
It's more for them, but we all need a win if I'm being honest. We get the win I'm really, really fired up for the guys. I'm secondary, thirdary, fourthdary, I'm down there, but I will be really excited for them, for sure.
On Jacoby Windmon injury and his future…
We haven't gotten to his future moving forward, he is out for the season. He's tremendous young man, a good dude, some guys are just good people and he's just a good dude. He truly cares about his teammates; I wish him nothing but the best. We love him still being around, being a leader and helping as much as he can and we're glad that he is here.
Michigan State (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) travels to Rutgers (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) on Saturday, Oct. 14 to face the Scarlet Knights at 12 p.m. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Harlon Barnett Press Conference Transcript:
Introduction…
Good afternoon everybody, I'm glad you guys are here. We're back at it after a week off. We gave our guys a couple of days off as well as practiced last week, we had off Monday, practice Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and took Friday and Saturday off. We're back at it today, the guys looked good, they were energized, they looked refreshed and ready to go to finish these last seven weeks of the season with a bang. We're starting off against Rutgers, a good Rutgers team, and a well-coached Rutgers team.
On the starting QB direction…
Great question, we're still evaluating it and we got a good competition going on. I'm doing my (Bill) Belichick again (smiling), it's going to be good, guys know where they stand and what's going to happen. We'll just leave it at that for now.
On did the bye week helped get players healthy…
Absolutely, it came at a great time for us, we got more guys back and you should see more guys back out on the field on Saturday running around hitting people.
What story does the team want to fight for…
We're going to fight for the respect, and the honor of wearing a Spartan uniform. We understand we're representing so many people, but at the end of the day, it's about us in the locker room and trusting one another, being unified, and believing to go out and win each game that's left on our schedule. We continue to have that kind of mindset going throughout the season, we will be fine.
How much the team could use a victory…
A lot. I think it will be great for us to get a win for the guys. Winning does a lot for people and we definitely need to get that done, we want to get that done, we're all striving to get that done. So, to answer your question, it would do a lot for us, I think. The guys are still working hard there was enthusiasm and energy at practice this morning, I just want to see it for them.
Does he want everyone to know the starting QB, or does he not know yet…
Because we don't want anyone to know, kind of. We know what we're going to do, and we feel good about it, you'll see on Saturday.
Deficiencies that were seen beyond the QB play and how the defense looked against Iowa keeping the team in the game…
They (the defense) looked good; it looked like what you saw with a naked eye, when we reviewed the film some opportunities on the defense were, picks. I can see Malik and I can see Cal, opportunities, opportunities, opportunities, we talked about going into the game, there's going to be opportunities and we got to take advantage of those opportunities. We did on some, Grose had a great interception, Cal had a touchdown when the ball popped out when Simeon Barrow knocked the ball out and Cal ran for a touchdown, awesome, but you're never satisfied. Now if Malik catches that interception, if Cal catches that interception, those types of things would have contributed for us winning the ball game as well, we got to take advantage of all opportunities when they present themselves.
Thoughts on the run game and Carter reaching 100 yards three times this year…
I love the run game. I'm still old school in that way where you must run the football and then stop the run. That's still football, I know people don't think that because everyone is slinging the ball around, but you still must run the football and stop the run. The way we're running the ball on offense is outstanding. The turnovers, we got to cut down on turnovers. We do that, we win the last two games because we outgained them in yards and time of possession. But the turnover battle is what got us, we must start creating turnovers on defense and stop giving turnovers on offense.
On addressing discipline…
Last week we got a penalty report after practice, we started stressing that in the team meeting, if you were on the penalty report we will put that on the screen in the meeting room with your name. You'll have to stand up and read out loud the definition of the penalty and do 10 push-ups in front of the whole team in the team meeting. That is something we're starting to put more emphasis on, that we're starting to do. Anything that'll help, we'll continue to do that and hope it helps, if not, we'll find something else to do. We must cut down on the penalties and beating ourselves because that's what we've been doing the past couple games.
If he took anytime to re-evaluate or get away from everything in the last four weeks…
I went recruiting on Friday, so, Saturday was the day I got to kick back for a little bit and hang out with my wife. But, that was the most downtime I had was Saturday to think about it for a little bit, I had coach Dantonio call me earlier in the week and said, "just think about what's going on with you, you just got thrown right into it, it's not like you got hired in December or January and had nine months to build up into the season." I never even thought about it until he said it, because it was just, go, and I'm not an excuse maker, so, it was, this is what we're in, let's go beat Washington, let's go beat everybody. But when you get a chance to sit back and think about it, you say, "okay, I know what the situation is, let's learn from it and let's get better from it." I told the guys today, we have seven weeks to go, let's execute everything that we do, on the field and off the field, going to class, being on time to class, going to tutors, all of that because that shows up on the field. Being on time for meetings, everything that we need to do, eliminate penalties, so that's where my mind went to help us finish strong these last seven games. I say we're at 0-0 right now we got a clean slate, its 0-0 right now, let's go knock these next seven out with everything we have.
On if he watched football on Saturday…
Of course, I'm crazy like that. College football is fun to watch, and you see things people are doing and it's just fun to watch, I love football and that's how it is for me. I also watched the Equalizer 3 – I like Equalizer movies.
The way the Iowa game transpired and the loss against Maryland, how does he kept the players head together in those type of situations and keep them engaged…
That's a great question, showing them and truly showing them how close we are, they see it for themselves. You show certain points in the game and you see them shaking their head saying "we're right there" they can see it for themselves and you just keep showing it over and over hoping that it gets stuck in so much so that when those times come in the next game, that they're remembering, reminding each other, coaching each other on things and not beat ourselves, let's execute, let's focus even more that's what you're hoping for. You continue show it to them that they're right there and it's not no fairy tale and making things up, they're seeing it for themselves, yeah, we are right there. That's why they keep believing, keep trying, and keep giving everything they have.
Worried about a checkout factor after a week off or are players revitalized…
They're revitalized, after seeing today's practice, revitalized. I would think about the checkout factor would be by Iowa, but now after Iowa, I think they're all in. We never really had a checkout factor prior to Iowa or after, when I saw that I said, "let's go," they're ready to go, seven weeks, seven weeks.
Does uncertainty at the QB position does it affect the locker room dynamic…
The guys know they just want to win, and they know we're going to give them the best opportunity to win with quarterback, or any other position, for that matter. They're all teammates, they all root for each other and they all know that the best players play and we're all competing for our jobs. So, I don't think there's a split in the locker room, guys just want to win football games, that's all it boils down to and not just the quarterback, it's all positions. We showed things were everybody could have done something better and made plays. It's not just the quarterback, they understand that the quarterback is not different, the best player plays.
Has anyone else jumped in the portal since the Iowa game…
I'm not going to lie here, something is not out there, but now I have to say it since you asked that question, but I don't want to answer that, but I will (smiling). This morning Jordon Simmons came and said he's going to jump in the portal, with that being said, he's off the team. It wasn't nothing bad, he went home and talked to his parents during the bye week and said that's fine and this is what he has available to him.
How different recruiting is in this situation…
The guys I went to see, one was committed, and one was previous committed, but they both were great. The one that is still committed he was good; they're just waiting it out and see what happens. The other who de-committed he said, "coach if you're there, I'm there." I said, I understand, he's trying to make sure with his family and letting others know that he could be going somewhere else. It can be tough because you don't know what's going to happen and that's where they are, and you must understand their situation. They chose Michigan State, it's a great place and I'm going to sell Michigan State regardless, if I'm here or not here, they can't go wrong in my opinion. You just have to find a way to talk to people and make them understand, keep riding it out, be patient with us, and let's see what happens.
Any injuries updates on Carr or any other players that missed the game against Iowa to be back this weekend…
I do. Yes, Maliq is one of them.
On facing Rutgers QB Wimsatt and Kyle Monangai last year…
They're good football players, they understand the scheme Rutgers is running and Rutgers' put them in position to be able to use their talent to the best of their ability. Good players, well-coached team and coach Schiano been doing it for a long time, they know what they're doing.
On whom has been good leaders…
Tre Mosley, Simeon Barrow, J.D. Duplain, Cal Haladay, Nick Samac, those guys are doing a tremendous job, Darius Snow now that he's coming back, Jacoby Windmon. We talk about a player-led team being better than a coach-led team and those guys are really stepping up. In fact, today after practice, Darius wanted a few minutes with the team himself and he shared some things himself and we as coaches stepped away and let him share, that was good. Leadership has stepped up, especially in a time like this, it's crucial and they're getting it done.
On players sharing the same mindset as him…
I continue to tell them that I believe we can win every game left on our schedule and I truly believe it. You can feel a person when they're saying something to believes in it or not. That's how I always been, that's how I am, that's how I'm built and I'm always going to be that way. They understand, they're mindset are in a great place right now. We just need to accomplish on getting a win so when that happens, we can catch momentum, build more confidence, and start playing even better.
On if the quarterback competition is over for this week…
Is it over for this week, possibly.
How bad does he need a win…
It's more for them, but we all need a win if I'm being honest. We get the win I'm really, really fired up for the guys. I'm secondary, thirdary, fourthdary, I'm down there, but I will be really excited for them, for sure.
On Jacoby Windmon injury and his future…
We haven't gotten to his future moving forward, he is out for the season. He's tremendous young man, a good dude, some guys are just good people and he's just a good dude. He truly cares about his teammates; I wish him nothing but the best. We love him still being around, being a leader and helping as much as he can and we're glad that he is here.
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