Photo by: Rey Del Rio/MSU Athletic Communications
Harlon Barnett Press Conference Coverage
11/20/2023 2:28:00 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 regular-season finale against No. 11/11 Penn State.
Michigan State (4-7, 2-6 Big Ten) takes on Penn State (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) on Friday, Nov. 24 at Ford Field in Detroit. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on NBC and streamed on Peacock.
Michigan State interim head coach Harlon Barnett press conference quotes:
Opening Statement…
Hello everybody, good afternoon. Really excited about this upcoming game, our 12th and final guaranteed game, down at Ford Field, expecting a lot of Spartans to show up there. We have a lot of Detroit area guys on our time getting a chance to play in an NFL venue and it's going to be a lot of fun. Hopefully all the Spartans show up and have a good time.
On the value of finishing the season out…
I told them again today, 'we're here now,' we can see the finish line. We talked about finish, there's a lot of different ways you have to finish, it's starting with your play, that particular play in a series, quarter, and game. Now, not only are we going to do all that this week but also it's finish the final game, finish the season. We're going to stick with that, it's very important not just in football, but in life, you got to finish everything you do, if you start something, have a mindset to always finish and do it with excellence. That's our mindset for this week.
The importance of winning the Land Grant Trophy…
Yeah, it's very important, the most important is winning the game, that's number one and the trophy comes along with it. It's something coach Perles created from my understanding, that's always big because he was my coach. We would love to bring it back home to East Lansing and when we open up our new building, we have a nice place to put it in, the same with the (Old Brass) Spittoon (vs. Indiana).
On injury updates and does it affect practice structures…
(Nick) Samac will be out, we got a chance to get Nate Carter back, and Brandon Wright, we'll see, he has a lower leg deal, we'll see about him. This time of year in all of football, the hitting backs way off because it's such a physical sport. We're maybe backing off more than we normally have. We are slowing it down for our guys, not much banging and it's a shorter week as well, it's more about mental reps than the physical reps, that's what we're doing.
On how much confidence the offense gained from last week…
When you play well, it can't help but build your confidence. I'm sure those guys are feeling pretty good and understanding what we're about to face again. Every week in the Big Ten, you're going to have to be ready to fight and play; so here's another challenge for us to go out to fight and play and do our very best, execute, play with great discipline, and finish. I said we have to finish everything we do, we do that, we give ourselves a chance to win the football game.
On how Maliq Carr's presence changes the offense…
It can change a lot, going into the Iowa game he was going to get used a lot and he had five or six catches (in the first quarter) I think, and that was by design. Maliq is a good football player, he's very confident in his ability and when you're like that, you can go out there and do things like he does, and he's not shocked when he does those things. He is a weapon, we're all trying to get better. Katin just starting to get out there, we were rotating Sam in and those type of things, but he is a weapon for us. We have others as well, a great catch from Montorie, Alante Brown, I think Katin is getting more comfortable in what he's doing so hopefully he has another great game this week and get Maliq the ball as well.
On prepping for Penn State, and the quarterback situation…
You always believe guys are going to play until you hear otherwise, sometimes until we see as coaches, we don't believe it until we see it for ourselves, so we expect the quarterback to play. As far as their defense, they got good players who play hard, understand the scheme, they'll come after you, we know what to expect from these guys and we just have to go out and execute our plan.
On if team will go down to Ford Field on Thursday and does it feel like a road game…
Yes, we're going to go down Thursday. Not really, when we stay in-state, it feels like a home game to me anyway. I always tell our guys, it's still 11 on 11 football no matter where you're playing. The crowd will be a factor if you let it be a factor; it's all mindset to me, they can yell and scream all they want to. If you can block it out and just go play ball.
On if Spartan fans will take over Ford Field…
I feel good about it, I think we will show up and support our guys. The guys busted their butts all year long, they didn't ask for this, this is adversity that came upon them this season. I would love for Spartan nation to show love to our guys and show respect for them for what they have done this season; they never gave up, they kept fighting, and they will continue fighting this Friday night and hopefully everybody will show up and appreciate our guys for that.
On Dallas Fincher filling in for Nick…
He did a good job, Dallas is a good football player, he has great attention to detail, always executes to the best of his abilities because he cares. He did a really good job, he's going to be a very good player and I'm glad he's on our team.
On if he remembers Ford Field in 2010 and what he took away from it…
I do remember, I think it was FAU we played down there. The atmosphere itself, you got to talk about the hash marks and all of that because the NFL fields will keep the hash marks. You just got to understand those types of things because it does matter on how we align and certain situations, so we'll talk to our guys about it. Like I said, it's a football field, some of the guys played in here that are from the Detroit area because of playoffs or whatever it might be, I don't think they will be overwhelmed.
On the uncertainty to come after the season…
I try not to think about it to be honest with you until we get there. I'll probably say something on Thursday, you'll get all of these emotions involved, but really it's after the game, we'll just share what we think of the season. At the same time, you know life goes on, in some cases nobody cares, that's how life goes, and you can keep pushing. This team understands adverse situations and there's uncertainty, but if you keep going and finish, everything will be okay.
On stopping Penn State's run game…
They have two really good backs; they play off each other from how they run the football. Their line is good and they just do a good job period, understanding how to hit holes and read their blocks. We're backing off our guys a little bit to make sure they get to the race on Friday night. We have a really good front and they been playing hard all year. It's one of those things where there's nothing to hold back, you're not trying to make it to next week's game, its all out.
On if Michigan State will accept a bowl game if they finish 5-7…
There hasn't been any discussion on that, we just focus on the Penn State game and if that comes about, we'll talk about it when that happens.
On learning from this season and giving his elevator pitch if he wants the full-time job…
I've grown, there's a rhythm to things that you do, whether it's a reporter, or whatever (the job), and I finally caught the rhythm, I know I got to be here on Monday at 12:30 to talk to you guys. Once you catch the rhythm and you start doing pretty decent at it, then you start to gain confidence. That's kind of what has happened with me going through this and seeing what it's about and understanding you're not much of a coach anymore but more of a counselor. And so I've learned that. As far as the job itself, and wanting the job – and I do want this job as the head football coach – there's nobody they can find that loves this place more than I do. There's something to loving a place and caring about a place as opposed to just going there for a job, if that makes sense. So there's extra that will be done, above and beyond, understanding the place, and understanding what Michigan State is all about, our alumni, and our fans. I am a Spartan, I bleed green, there's nobody they can find to do a better job. Maybe equal to, because I'm not going to do that – confident not cocky – but there's nobody they can find better, maybe equal to, but not better, so I'll say that.
On if he's a candidate…
I was told several weeks ago that I will get an opportunity to interview, I don't have a specific date, so you know what I know right now. I did ask for an interview.
On if Maverick Hansen will be back and defensive line depth…
We're hoping that he'll be back. He was out there today in a limited role, but we're hoping to get Mav back. Next man up, there's no excuses, that's what this team is, and I had no problem putting him out there and he did a decent job. We got Simeon (Barrow), (Derrick) Harmon, we got those guys that will step in and do a good job for us.
On how long it took to find his rhythm…
The combination of losing six straight and figuring it all out, I would say somewhere between the Iowa and Rutgers game. I started saying, 'this is what it is, this is how I got to deal with it,' right around that time.
On future leaders in the freshman and sophomore class…
(Jordan) Hall is definitely a future leader, he's already a natural leader, three-time captain down at IMG amongst so-called stars, and he's a three-time captain. He shown that here, Jordan does a good job in communicating and knowing what to do, an extremely smart individual. He's a young guy who has a chance to be a really good leader.
Michigan State (4-7, 2-6 Big Ten) takes on Penn State (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) on Friday, Nov. 24 at Ford Field in Detroit. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on NBC and streamed on Peacock.
Michigan State interim head coach Harlon Barnett press conference quotes:
Opening Statement…
Hello everybody, good afternoon. Really excited about this upcoming game, our 12th and final guaranteed game, down at Ford Field, expecting a lot of Spartans to show up there. We have a lot of Detroit area guys on our time getting a chance to play in an NFL venue and it's going to be a lot of fun. Hopefully all the Spartans show up and have a good time.
On the value of finishing the season out…
I told them again today, 'we're here now,' we can see the finish line. We talked about finish, there's a lot of different ways you have to finish, it's starting with your play, that particular play in a series, quarter, and game. Now, not only are we going to do all that this week but also it's finish the final game, finish the season. We're going to stick with that, it's very important not just in football, but in life, you got to finish everything you do, if you start something, have a mindset to always finish and do it with excellence. That's our mindset for this week.
The importance of winning the Land Grant Trophy…
Yeah, it's very important, the most important is winning the game, that's number one and the trophy comes along with it. It's something coach Perles created from my understanding, that's always big because he was my coach. We would love to bring it back home to East Lansing and when we open up our new building, we have a nice place to put it in, the same with the (Old Brass) Spittoon (vs. Indiana).
On injury updates and does it affect practice structures…
(Nick) Samac will be out, we got a chance to get Nate Carter back, and Brandon Wright, we'll see, he has a lower leg deal, we'll see about him. This time of year in all of football, the hitting backs way off because it's such a physical sport. We're maybe backing off more than we normally have. We are slowing it down for our guys, not much banging and it's a shorter week as well, it's more about mental reps than the physical reps, that's what we're doing.
On how much confidence the offense gained from last week…
When you play well, it can't help but build your confidence. I'm sure those guys are feeling pretty good and understanding what we're about to face again. Every week in the Big Ten, you're going to have to be ready to fight and play; so here's another challenge for us to go out to fight and play and do our very best, execute, play with great discipline, and finish. I said we have to finish everything we do, we do that, we give ourselves a chance to win the football game.
On how Maliq Carr's presence changes the offense…
It can change a lot, going into the Iowa game he was going to get used a lot and he had five or six catches (in the first quarter) I think, and that was by design. Maliq is a good football player, he's very confident in his ability and when you're like that, you can go out there and do things like he does, and he's not shocked when he does those things. He is a weapon, we're all trying to get better. Katin just starting to get out there, we were rotating Sam in and those type of things, but he is a weapon for us. We have others as well, a great catch from Montorie, Alante Brown, I think Katin is getting more comfortable in what he's doing so hopefully he has another great game this week and get Maliq the ball as well.
On prepping for Penn State, and the quarterback situation…
You always believe guys are going to play until you hear otherwise, sometimes until we see as coaches, we don't believe it until we see it for ourselves, so we expect the quarterback to play. As far as their defense, they got good players who play hard, understand the scheme, they'll come after you, we know what to expect from these guys and we just have to go out and execute our plan.
On if team will go down to Ford Field on Thursday and does it feel like a road game…
Yes, we're going to go down Thursday. Not really, when we stay in-state, it feels like a home game to me anyway. I always tell our guys, it's still 11 on 11 football no matter where you're playing. The crowd will be a factor if you let it be a factor; it's all mindset to me, they can yell and scream all they want to. If you can block it out and just go play ball.
On if Spartan fans will take over Ford Field…
I feel good about it, I think we will show up and support our guys. The guys busted their butts all year long, they didn't ask for this, this is adversity that came upon them this season. I would love for Spartan nation to show love to our guys and show respect for them for what they have done this season; they never gave up, they kept fighting, and they will continue fighting this Friday night and hopefully everybody will show up and appreciate our guys for that.
On Dallas Fincher filling in for Nick…
He did a good job, Dallas is a good football player, he has great attention to detail, always executes to the best of his abilities because he cares. He did a really good job, he's going to be a very good player and I'm glad he's on our team.
On if he remembers Ford Field in 2010 and what he took away from it…
I do remember, I think it was FAU we played down there. The atmosphere itself, you got to talk about the hash marks and all of that because the NFL fields will keep the hash marks. You just got to understand those types of things because it does matter on how we align and certain situations, so we'll talk to our guys about it. Like I said, it's a football field, some of the guys played in here that are from the Detroit area because of playoffs or whatever it might be, I don't think they will be overwhelmed.
On the uncertainty to come after the season…
I try not to think about it to be honest with you until we get there. I'll probably say something on Thursday, you'll get all of these emotions involved, but really it's after the game, we'll just share what we think of the season. At the same time, you know life goes on, in some cases nobody cares, that's how life goes, and you can keep pushing. This team understands adverse situations and there's uncertainty, but if you keep going and finish, everything will be okay.
On stopping Penn State's run game…
They have two really good backs; they play off each other from how they run the football. Their line is good and they just do a good job period, understanding how to hit holes and read their blocks. We're backing off our guys a little bit to make sure they get to the race on Friday night. We have a really good front and they been playing hard all year. It's one of those things where there's nothing to hold back, you're not trying to make it to next week's game, its all out.
On if Michigan State will accept a bowl game if they finish 5-7…
There hasn't been any discussion on that, we just focus on the Penn State game and if that comes about, we'll talk about it when that happens.
On learning from this season and giving his elevator pitch if he wants the full-time job…
I've grown, there's a rhythm to things that you do, whether it's a reporter, or whatever (the job), and I finally caught the rhythm, I know I got to be here on Monday at 12:30 to talk to you guys. Once you catch the rhythm and you start doing pretty decent at it, then you start to gain confidence. That's kind of what has happened with me going through this and seeing what it's about and understanding you're not much of a coach anymore but more of a counselor. And so I've learned that. As far as the job itself, and wanting the job – and I do want this job as the head football coach – there's nobody they can find that loves this place more than I do. There's something to loving a place and caring about a place as opposed to just going there for a job, if that makes sense. So there's extra that will be done, above and beyond, understanding the place, and understanding what Michigan State is all about, our alumni, and our fans. I am a Spartan, I bleed green, there's nobody they can find to do a better job. Maybe equal to, because I'm not going to do that – confident not cocky – but there's nobody they can find better, maybe equal to, but not better, so I'll say that.
On if he's a candidate…
I was told several weeks ago that I will get an opportunity to interview, I don't have a specific date, so you know what I know right now. I did ask for an interview.
On if Maverick Hansen will be back and defensive line depth…
We're hoping that he'll be back. He was out there today in a limited role, but we're hoping to get Mav back. Next man up, there's no excuses, that's what this team is, and I had no problem putting him out there and he did a decent job. We got Simeon (Barrow), (Derrick) Harmon, we got those guys that will step in and do a good job for us.
On how long it took to find his rhythm…
The combination of losing six straight and figuring it all out, I would say somewhere between the Iowa and Rutgers game. I started saying, 'this is what it is, this is how I got to deal with it,' right around that time.
On future leaders in the freshman and sophomore class…
(Jordan) Hall is definitely a future leader, he's already a natural leader, three-time captain down at IMG amongst so-called stars, and he's a three-time captain. He shown that here, Jordan does a good job in communicating and knowing what to do, an extremely smart individual. He's a young guy who has a chance to be a really good leader.
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