Michigan State trying to make something of a football season that has turned chaotic

IOWA CITY — You think the Iowa Hawkeyes are playing under some turmoil with this lack-of-offense thing? Try Michigan State.

The school did the expected Wednesday and officially fired head coach Mel Tucker, who had been the subject of a sexual harassment allegation from a former university vendor and rape survivor.

The school conducted an investigation, and Tucker had been suspended from his duties and told last week he would be terminated. The school said Wednesday the coach did not provide sufficient evidence to prove he had not violated terms of his contract and was officially let go.

Assistant coach Harlon Barnett, who has been at MSU for 15 years, was the acting head coach the past two weeks and is now interim head coach. The Spartans are 2-2 going into their game Saturday night at Kinnick Stadium against Iowa (3-1).

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:37 p.m. (NBC).

“We’re just putting one foot in front of the other,” said Michigan State wide receiver Montorie Foster. “We’re just moving on, really. We’re coming together every day, putting in hard work in practice and stuff like that. That’s pretty much it. That’s all we can do.”

“We had a team meeting to kind of talk about everything and to make sure you get it off your chest,” said MSU linebacker Cal Haladay. “Now it’s just limit it, try not to talk about it at all. I think we’ve done pretty well with blocking it out as a team.”

Michigan State played its first four games at home, expectedly beating Central Michigan (31-7) and Richmond (45-14). But the last two weeks, with Barnett at the helm, have not been good, making you wonder how this situation is affecting everyone.

The Spartans lost two weeks ago to Washington (41-7) and its Big Ten Conference opener last week to Maryland (31-9).

“I think it’s in the past,” Barnett said at his weekly press conference. “They’ve all accepted what it is and for what it is, and we’re ready to go out and compete. That’s why I’m excited about this team. I told them today, I love this team, I love this team. Guys could have said ‘Hey, I’m shutting it down. I’m done.’ But we haven’t had any of that. I told them ‘Hey, you’re all true Spartan dogs.’ Keep fighting through, keep pushing, and it’s going to turn. This thing is going to turn.”

With Tucker’s firing comes the opportunity until Oct. 26 for any Michigan State player to enter the transfer portal. They can have contact with any other school without it being against NCAA regulations.

The transfer portal possibility then re-opens following the season. Any player who transfers midseason would not be eligible to play immediately at another school.

“We’re a team full of bonded guys,” said Michigan State linebacker Aaron Brule. “There is nobody that wants to check out, at least that we see. If there are guys who want to, that’s up to them. But the guys that are in the room, we’re going to get the job done.”

“You’ve seen with our university, the adversity that we’ve been dealing with, so this is nothing new to us,” said Spartans center Nick Samac. “We’re just going to keep fighting. I love my guys, and I’m going to keep pushing them as hard as I can.”

Barnett said he is relishing the opportunity to lead a program, especially at his alma mater. He played defensive back for Michigan State in the late 1980s, played in the National Football League for three seasons before transitioning into coaching.

He has been a well-renowned DB coach at Michigan State and Florida State.

“I’m feeling more comfortable doing this,” he said. “It was a change, a big change, so it’s just getting comfortable and doing it my way. Doing it being me. I can’t be anybody else. I’m only Harlon Barnett, so that’s how I have to operate. I’m not trying to operate like anybody else, and in doing that, just like anything, you have to catch a rhythm.

“I’ve said this before, just like you guys back there with a camera, you have to get into a rhythm with how to do this. Once you catch that rhythm with it, then you know how to flow with it and everything goes smooth from there.”

Barnett pointed out how much smoother everything would be with a win Saturday.

“It’s not about me, and it never will be. It’s about us, and that is how it always will be,” he said. “We’ve just got to get some Ws. That’s the focus, and that’’s the goal, to get it done. And to help these guys get better and better and better.”

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