Advertisement

Michigan State football stock watch: Harlon Barnett up, Mel Tucker out for Spartans

chris solari, detroit free press
·3 min read

EAST LANSING — Here are the Michigan State football players who helped or hurt their stock in the Spartans’ 45-14 win over Richmond on Saturday:

Three up

QB Noah Kim/ RB Nathan Carter: It was a second straight strong performance from the two new starters in the backfield. Despite a sluggish start for the offense, Kim showed precision in completing his final 15 passes and throwing for three touchdowns en route to earning Big Ten offensive player of the week honors. He finished 18 of 22 for 292 yards, including a 45-yard score to Antonio Gates Jr. Carter again looked strong through contact and showed vision to turn small creases into big gains, finishing with 111 yards on 19 carries and three touchdowns, one of them a 44-yard burst.

Michigan State's Simeon Barrow Jr., center, celebrates his sack against Richmond during the first quarter on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Michigan State's Simeon Barrow Jr., center, celebrates his sack against Richmond during the first quarter on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.

Pass rush: The Spartans’ front seven strength showed with a dominating performance in overpowering the Spiders. MSU registered 13 tackles for a loss, with seven of those coming on sacks. Linebackers Cal Haladay, Jacoby Windmon, Aaron Brule and Jordan Hall combined for 20 tackles, including five for a loss. Defensive end Zion Young had 1.5 sacks among his five stops, and defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton was able to deploy waves of players early and often at edge rusher, defensive tackle and linebacker.

Harlon Barnett: The former MSU defensive back and current secondary coach will get his first head coaching job at his alma mater, albeit for now on an acting basis after Mel Tucker was suspended without pay Sunday. Barnett, a 56-year-old who played seven seasons in the NFL, spent a year under Nick Saban at LSU as a graduate assistant, three years at Cincinnati under Mark Dantonio and followed Dantonio to MSU from 2007-17 as defensive backs coach, co-defensive coordinator and assistant and associate head coach. Barnett left for a failed two-year stint as defensive coordinator at Florida State before returning to East Lansing in 2020 with Tucker.

Three down

Michigan State football head coach Mel Tucker before the game against the Richmond Spiders at Spartan Stadium on Sept. 9, 2023 in East Lansing.
Michigan State football head coach Mel Tucker before the game against the Richmond Spiders at Spartan Stadium on Sept. 9, 2023 in East Lansing.

Mel Tucker: Two years ago, the 51-year-old shocked the college football world in his second season at MSU by leading the Spartans to an 8-0 star, an 11-2 finish and a top-10 ranking. The 10-year, $95 million contract extension he signed in late 2021 now appears all but erased after allegations of sexual impropriety on a phone call with sexual assault victims advocate Brenda Tracy became public hours after Saturday’s win. Tucker is 20-14 in four years at MSU, including a 2-0 start this season, but it appears unlikely he will return.

Offensive line: Despite Carter’s second 100-plus-yard rushing performance, MSU’s blockers could not produce a similar overwhelming push against a lower-division opponent. The Spartans managed just 57 rushing yards in the first half. Offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic used a seven-man rotation into the early part of the second half, with backup tackles Keyshawn Blackstock on the left side subbing for Brandon Baldwin in the second quarter and Ethan Boyd replacing Spencer Brown on the right side in the third period. Ultimately, MSU’s size and depth wore down Richmond but may not have the same happen as Power Five play begins.

LB Jacoby Windmon: Despite Windmon’s strong game, the senior left the game with a reported pectoral injury late in the first half and returned to the sideline after halftime not wearing pads and did not play again. It is unclear if or how long the injury could sideline Windmon, who won three Big Ten defensive player of the week honors last season before being suspended for the final four games of 2022 after the postgame tunnel fight at Michigan Stadium.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter. Subscribe to the "Spartan Speak" podcast for new episodes each week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football stock watch: Harlon Barnett up, Mel Tucker out