Michigan State interim head coach Harlon Barnett spoke to the media Monday afternoon as the Spartans head into a new week with Minnesota on the clock.

He discussed how the team has moved past Saturday's 49-0 blowout loss to rival Michigan, and is hard at work preparing for the Golden Gophers.

"We watched the film (from the Michigan game) and it wasn't very nice, but we have moved on," Barnett said in his opening comments on Monday. "The 24-hour rule has passed and we are focused on Minnesota."

With an opportunity to right the ship this weekend against Minnesota, Barnett says the biggest thing the Spartans have to do is finish. The team has had some narrow losses on its way to a 2-5 record, with a three-point loss to Rutgers and a 10-point loss to Iowa in recent weeks (although the game was much closer than the final score indicated in Iowa City). Both of those games saw late-game collapses from Michigan State, with a culmination of penalties, turnovers and lapses on special teams.

"We still have to finish," Barnett said about how the Spartans can turn things around. "I'm gonna still say discipline, everybody doing their job.

"And then you talk about special teams, maximum effort. Offense score. Defense, three-and-out, takeaways. And then finish. We have to finish. They understand it, we just have to do it."

Barnett was asked about this losing streak and how it compares to the losing skid in 2016 in which the Spartans lost seven games in a row at one point on their way to a final record of 3-9, as well as what he could use from that experience to help the team now.

"(2016) was tough," Barnett said. "It was really tough because we couldn't figure out what was going on and it felt like that. And it does feel like this a little bit right now.

"All you can do is keep trying to get better. I said to the coaching staff this morning, 'Just keep coaching these guys up and making them better.' Let's improve and get better week-to-week and we'll probably start seeing the results that we're looking for."

Barnett was then asked about a key game in his time as an assistant coach under Mark Dantonio. Conveniently, it was also at Minnesota, back in the 2012 season. It was pointed to as a game that showed many players on the team were bought in for the future. Barnett feels this year's matchup will define this season.

"This game (at Minnesota) is a game where the guys that are out there playing for us, you know they are Spartans," Barnett said. "They want to be here and give everything that they have."

Barnett also listed a group of players he said have stepped up as leaders in the locker room to try and keep the team together, including wide receiver Tre Mosley, center Nick Samac, guard J.D. Duplain, defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, nickel back Angelo Grose and linebacker Cal Haladay.

"Those guys are doing a good job at keeping us together and pushing us forward," Barnett said about the team's leaders.

With a team like Minnesota, which tries to establish the run, Barnett mentioned that MSU may be able to carry over some of its game plan from the matchup with Michigan. The Wolverines also have a powerful run game that's helped them get to their undefeated record of 8-0 thus far in 2023.

"It is a benefit," Barnett said about playing back-to-back run-heavy offenses. "You don't have many changes in the plan. You just have to execute the plan better."

Barnett noted that defensive tackle Simeon Barrow was considering entering the transfer portal, which Spartans Illustrated has since confirmed Barrow has officially done (along with offensive tackle Keyshawn Blackstock). The interim head coach closed the press conference by mentioning the players left in the interior of the defensive line that will still be available to help them stop the run against the Golden Gophers.

"We still have Derrick Harmon, we still have Jalen Sami, Maverick Hansen and those guys," Barnett said. "We have those guys still available and we'll use what we have at our disposal. They'll go in there and grind and fight and do whatever they need to do to help us succeed."

Additionally, Barnett also noted that he expects running back Jalen Berger to rest the miss of the 2023 season. Berger played in five games this year and recorded 25 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown this season.

Michigan State will take on Minnesota at 3:30 pm Eastern Time on Saturday on the Big Ten Network.

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