'They're Beatable': Michigan State Spartans' Harlon Barnett Comments On Ohio State Buckeyes
Michigan State interim coach Harlon Barnett is heading into Saturday's matchup against No. 1 Ohio State with premonitions of an upset occurring in Ohio Stadium.
And yes, Barnett believes the Buckeyes could lose on Saturday with the Spartans playing flawless football.
"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 said. "That’s my mindset. It will never change. Last week, somebody mentioned spoiler, I’m like, ‘That’s a scrub mentality.' That has never been my mentality and it will never be.”
Even amid the struggles of the regular season, the Spartans (3-6, 1-5 Big Ten) still have hopes of securing a bowl bid by running the table through the final three weeks. Facing Ohio State is the start of a run that sees matchups against Indiana and No. 10 Penn State.
Make no mistake, either. The Buckeyes (9-0, 6-0) are like every team in the country; beatable. Last week, Rutgers gave Ohio State a run for its money before a second-half surge led to the 19-point win in Piscataway.
Barnett said the Buckeyes are playing exceptional football and understand their ranking in the College Football Playoff polls.
“I see what you see. No, they’re a good team. They always get a lot of great talent down there. Marvin Harrison is an outstanding football player, and they have others as well," said Barnett. "They’re not lacking for talent — offense, defense or anywhere. So we got to go down there and, like I said, have great attention to detail and make sure we’re going to execute on every chance and opportunity we have to execute.”
Stopping Harrison presents its own share of challenges for the Spartans' 57th-ranked pass defense. The 6-4 junior was held to four catches for 26 yards against the Scarlet Knights, but two of those receptions culminated in touchdowns.
Ohio State Buckeyes safety Josh Proctor (41) breaks up a pass intended for Rutgers Scarlet Knights running back Kyle Monangai (5) as cornerback Jordan Hancock (7) intercepts the ball for a touchdown.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Through nine games, Harrison has notched 52 catches for 914 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has scored a touchdown in every Big Ten matchup minus the season-opener against the Indiana.
"He’s a really good football player, and we know that," said Barnett. "That’s what I’ll say.”
The Buckeyes offense has lacked momentum at times behind first-year starter Kyle McCord, but injuries certainly factored into the performance. Ohio State is near full strength with the return of running back TreVeyon Henderson and star receiver Emeka Egbuka.
Tight end Cade Stover is expected to play after missing last week's win over Rutgers.
In retrospect, the defense has been Ohio State's backbone en route to an undefeated season. The Buckeyes have held every opponent to 17 points or fewer and rank fifth nationally in total yards allowed (271.1 per contest).
The Spartans are battled-tested, however, having faced off against No. 5 Washington and No. 3 Michigan. Combined, the two potential College Football Playoff-bound programs have outscored Michigan State 90-7.
Barnett said playing in those matchups could provide a building block on how Michigan State will have to play against the Buckeyes on the road.
“You’ve got to have great attention to detail,” Barnett said. “The previous two top-10 teams we have played in Washington and in Ann Arbor, (there were) a lot of penalties both games, so we can’t beat ourselves. So great attention to detail will not allow us to beat ourselves and get those costly penalties.
"Don’t help them beat us. Make them beat us. Have them earn the right to beat us. That’s where we start and have them move from there.”
Michigan State last defeated Ohio State at Spartan Stadium in 2015 on its way to a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff bid. During the Buckeyes’ seven-game win streak against the Spartans, six games have been decided by at least 24 points.
Over that span, the Buckeyes have outscored the Spartans 282-74.
Kickoff from Columbus is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be nationally televised on NBC Sports.
