“They Can Win”: The Michigan State Spartans Harlon Barnett’s Remarks Regarding Ohio State University
Harlon Barnett, the interim coach of Michigan State, is expecting an upset at Ohio Stadium when his team plays No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday.
And sure, Barnett thinks that if the Spartans play perfect football on Saturday, the Buckeyes could lose.
“They’re beatable guys just like anybody else, we’re going to go down with the mindset to go attack them and get a win,” Barnett stated. That’s how I think. It’s not going to change. When someone brought up spoilers last week, I thought, “That’s a scrub mentality.” I have never had that mindset, and I never will.
Despite their difficult regular season, the Spartans (3-6, 1-5 Big Ten) can still qualify for a bowl game if they continue to play well in the last three weeks. The run begins with a game against Ohio State and continues with games against Indiana and No. 10 Penn State.
Do not misunderstand either. Like any other team in the nation, the Buckeyes (9-0, 6-0) are defeatable. Rutgers challenged Ohio State last week, but a second-half surge in Piscataway sealed the 19-point victory.
According to Barnett, the Buckeyes are aware of their ranking in the College Football Playoff polls and are playing outstanding football.
“What you see, I see. They’re a solid team, though. There, they consistently attract a great deal of talent. They have other excellent football players besides Marvin Harrison, according to Barnett. “They don’t lack talent in any area—offensive, defensive, or otherwise. Thus, we must descend there and, as I mentioned before, pay close attention to detail to ensure that we will take advantage of every opportunity to execute.
It will be difficult for the Spartans’ 57th-ranked pass defence to stop Harrison on its own. Against the Scarlet Knights, the 6-4 junior was limited to four receptions for 26 yards, but two of those catches resulted in touchdowns.
Harrison has racked up 52 receptions for 914 yards and 10 touchdowns through nine games. With the exception of the season opener against Indiana, he has scored a touchdown in each Big Ten game.
“He’s a really good football player, and we know that,” stated Barnett. “I’ll say it that way.”
Behind first-year starter Kyle McCord, the Buckeyes offence has occasionally lacked vigour, but injuries undoubtedly had an impact on the outcome. With the return of standout receiver Emeka Egbuka and running back TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State is almost back to full strength.
narrow end After missing the victory over Rutgers last week, Cade Stover is anticipated to play.
Looking back, Ohio State’s defence has been their pillar of strength as they have gone undefeated this season. The Buckeyes are fifth nationally in total yards allowed (271.1 per game), and they have held every opponent to 17 points or fewer.
But having played No. 3 Michigan and No. 5 Washington, the Spartans are war-tested. The two teams that could make the College Football Playoffs have outscored Michigan State 90-7 when combined.
According to Barnett, participating in those games could help Michigan State prepare for their road game against the Buckeyes.
Barnett remarked, “You have to pay close attention to detail.” “We can’t beat ourselves because the last two top-10 teams we played in Ann Arbour and Washington had a lot of penalties in both games. Due diligence will prevent us from outdoing ourselves and incurring those expensive fines.
“Prevent them from beating us. Make them win over us. Make them prove they deserve to defeat us. We start there and let them proceed from there.
In 2015, while winning the Big Ten championship and qualifying for the College Football Playoffs, Michigan State last defeated Ohio State at Spartan Stadium. Six of the Buckeyes’ seven victories over the Spartans have come down to a margin of at least 24 points.
The Buckeyes have outscored the Spartans 282-74 during that time.
The game will kick off from Columbus at 7:30 p.m. ET. NBC Sports will broadcast the match across the country.
