Saturday's 24-21 win over Indiana by Michigan State was a game of firsts. For interim head coach Harlon Barnett, it was his first road win at the helm of the Spartan program, and the first road win for Michigan State since claiming victory at Illinois over a year ago.

It was also the first win in a trophy rivalry since the Spartans earned he Land Grant Trophy from the Penn State Nittany Lions to close the season in 2021. By reclaiming the Old Brass Spittoon from the Hoosiers on Saturday, Michigan State prevented Indiana from keeping the Spittoon in Bloomington for two consecutive years for the first time since 1969.

It was a happy locker room for the Spartans following the game, filled with "lot's of music and dancing," according to tight end Maliq Carr. Coach Barnett was also excited.

"I'll start off by saying great win by our guy," Barnett said to open the postgame press conference on Saturday. "They finished. They kept competing. They applied what we've been talking about: 'finish, finish, finish.' You guys (the media) have been hearing me say it, and that's what we did. So we're really proud of our guys, (they) played really well and just kept fighting."

Getting the road win was not an easy task due in large part to the increasing number of injuries which have plagued the Spartans all season.

The pregame availability report listed a total of 17 players who were listed as either out of questionable, and none of them saw the field on Saturday. Several other players were not even listed due to previously announced season-ending injuries.

Barnett mentioned that only 45 scholarship players were available prior to the game. The participation report shows that less than 40 scholarship players saw the field on Saturday.

"We had an NFL team out there today," Barnett joked, referring to the smaller rosters allowed on Sundays. "You didn't know that, huh?

"Well, we got it done. We've got a great coaching staff and our guys did a great job. Whoever's available, that's who we're going play with, right? Nobody's making excuses. It's just what we do."

As the afternoon went on, the list of Spartans who had to be helped off the field and into the medical tent continued to grow.

Defensive tackles Simeon Barrow Jr. and Derrick Harmon both missed time, but were able to return. Running back Nathan Carter, defensive end Brandon Wright, and center Nick Samac all had to leave the game but did not return.

But through everything that happened on Saturday and through everything the has transpired this year, the Spartans persevered.

"These guys, they haven't given up," Barnett said. "They haven't given up. They just keep fighting, keep believing, and taking advantage of the (12) guaranteed opportunities (games) that were presented to them this year."

Barnett said that when he was put in the position to lead the Spartans earlier in the season, his first goal was to keep the team unified and together. He admitted that while it may not have been obvious from the results on the scoreboard over the past two months, his team never lost that cohesiveness.

"We were always together," he said. "We all were working hard, and now you're starting to see the results of that."