Derrick Harmon -- a standout defensive tackle for Michigan State -- is having an impressive season as a redshirt sophomore, accumulating 1.5 sacks and 27 tackles thus far. His heightened performance is evident in his consistent presence every game as a rotational piece.
As a key contributor for the Spartan defense, which currently sits at no. 42 nationally in terms of rushing defense, Harmon serves as a beacon of hope in an otherwise lackluster season. His continued role will be a driving force for the Spartans defensive presence moving forward.
The Detroit native and Loyola High School graduate held offers from schools such as Central Michigan, Ole Miss, Purdue, and Memphis, among others, but ultimately chose the Spartans.
MSU's win versus Nebraska last weekend marked its first victory since a Week Two matchup vs. Richmond, and the morale in the locker room was obviously much higher. The team needed it to say the least. Harmon, when asked about what a win after a series of losses did for the Spartans, described it as “a good feeling.”
“We’ve seen guys coming in on Monday, smiling," Harmon said. "The past six weeks, guys haven’t been coming in happy, but it’s a good feeling to have that winning feeling.”
Harmon went on to describe the victory over UNL as a "good win for the program.”
Looking ahead from last week, though, everybody knows that this week’s matchup vs. Ohio State will be nothing short of a challenge. The No. 1 ranked Buckeyes are viewed as a better team so far this year than they were last year, and the 2022 version of OSU bullied the Spartans in a lopsided 49-20 victory in East Lansing.
MSU has an opportunity to get another victory and start a win streak in Big Ten play, but it will be no easy task. When Harmon was asked what needs to be done to pull off a monumental upset, he says the team needs to “play the same ball we played last week.”
“That’s all we’ve gotta do,” Harmon stated. “Do the same thing we did last week, play together, consistently, and keep doing it as consistently as we can. Nothing changes this week just because we’re playing the number one team in college football.”
The Spartans' Achilles heel this season has been finishing games. MSU lost two games back-to-back because it could not close in the fourth quarter, and that is the difference between being 5-4 and 3-6, the latter where the team currently sits.
The Spartans held a three point lead going into the fourth quarter vs. Iowa, but eventually lost the game due to a handful of mistakes. Similarly, the next outing after a bye week, MSU lost a game in which it led Rutgers by 18 points heading into the fourth quarter, but could not finish due to mistake after mistake.
Harmon says his teammates have learned from their mistakes, and know they have a chance this weekend they can close the game. After finally closing out the game last week, he thinks everyone has a confidence that they didn’t have prior.
“We’ve just gotta finish at the end,” Harmon says. “Definitely on the defensive side, if we can finish, we have a chance to win this game. We said it weeks prior, but this past weekend we did it. When we finished, we saw what happened.”
Harmon is confident in his own progress, and as mentioned, he has seen an increase in production and total snaps since his first year at MSU. He attributes his progression to his hard work and focusing on the small details of his game, but he’s not finished getting better.
“I feel like I progress each week," Harmon said. "I’ve still got work to do. I’ve always gotta find something to get better at, even if it’s the little thing or the big thing, I’ve always gotta find something to get better at. Whether it’s in the season or in the off-season.”
The Spartans, who have faced two top ten teams in Washington (No. 8) as well as Michigan (No. 2), will have their third opportunity vs. the Buckeyes (No. 1). Harmon says the team has learned a lot from its first two matchups versus the aforementioned ranked opponents in which MSU was outscored a combined 90-7. He thinks the Spartans left a lot to be desired.
“We have to play to the best of our abilities, Harmon said. "We can’t make mistakes because they hurt us, and help them."
Combined, in their two ranked matchups, the Spartans committed 18 penalties for 185 yards. Limiting penalties may be the key this weekend for Michigan State if it hopes to keep things within reach against Ohio State.
Harmon says that last week provided an “edge” for the Spartans, and they are playing confidently now, which is positive news heading into their matchup vs. the Buckeyes. He says that the team knows “we can win games.”
“We can do this, if we just finish and do what we’ve got to do consistently, we can do this,” Harmon said.
The Spartans are in Columbus and head to the “Horseshoe” shortly to face the Buckeyes in a primetime matchup. The game will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. and be broadcast on NBC.
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