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Harlon Barnett speaks to Michigan prep while coming off disappointing loss
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Harlon Barnett and Michigan State nearly had their first B1G win of the season on Saturday. The Spartans built a 24-6 lead on the road against Rutgers under new starting quarterback Katin Houser.
Unfortunately, MSU watched as that lead evaporated over a 5-minute stretch of game time as the Scarlet Knights went on a 21-0 run. The Spartans could not recover as Rutgers secured the 27-24 win.
Trying to regroup after such a tough loss is hard for any team, but Michigan State must recover and refocus in time to face archrival Michigan in Week 8. The Wolverines also come to town as the undefeated No. 2 team in the nation.
As for how the team will regroup, Barnett pointed to the 24-hour rule that will allow the team to focus on the loss before firmly moving into Week 8.
“We’ve got the 24-hour rule. They can think about it tonight, we’ll go over the film first thing on Monday morning with them,” said Barnett. “I’m sure everybody will watch it tonight or for sure by tomorrow.
After the 24-hour rule, Barnett says the team will focus on the things to correct and then get to work because the Wolverines “don’t care” about any of MSU’s struggles.
“Get it all out there, talk about things we need to correct, and then understand that they don’t care (about our loss),” Barnett explained. “They’re going to come in here and try to — uh, they’re going to give us their best effort. We know that, and we will be prepared and ready.”
The in-state rivalry is a long-running series within the B1G. Michigan snapped a two-game winning streak by the Spartans a season ago, a loss for MSU that featured an ugly incident in the tunnel of Michigan Stadium.
The two teams will face off in East Lansing in Week 8 but are currently on opposite trajectories this season. We’ll see if the Spartans can dial up an upset in the middle of a trying year.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.