Mississippi State Football: 18 Thoughts on 2018 season

STARKVILLE, MS - NOVEMBER 11: Aeris Williams #22 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs dives in for the touchdown as Keith Holcombe #42 and Rashaan Evans #32 of the Alabama Crimson Tide try to tackle him during the first half of an NCAA football game at Davis Wade Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - NOVEMBER 11: Aeris Williams #22 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs dives in for the touchdown as Keith Holcombe #42 and Rashaan Evans #32 of the Alabama Crimson Tide try to tackle him during the first half of an NCAA football game at Davis Wade Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
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STARKVILLE, MS – OCTOBER 14: Ula Tolutau #5 of the Brigham Young Cougars is tackled by memebers of the Mississippi State Bulldogs defense during the first half of a game at Davis Wade Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS – OCTOBER 14: Ula Tolutau #5 of the Brigham Young Cougars is tackled by memebers of the Mississippi State Bulldogs defense during the first half of a game at Davis Wade Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

The Pass Rush For Mississippi State Football Will Help Its Secondary

Mississippi State football should be able to pressure quarterbacks fairly regularly in 2018. A season ago, between Gerri Green, Jeffery Simmons, and Montez Sweat, the Mississippi State Bulldogs recorded 20.5 sacks. Those three are all back and there’s even more to come on the defensive line.

Chauncey Rivers is fully eligible and his skillset will certainly be put to use. But, we’ll get to that more in a minute.

Cory Thomas, Marquiss Spencer, Fletcher Adams, Kobe Jones, Tre Brown, Braxton Hoyett, and Grant Harris are all also returning, giving the Bulldogs plenty of depth. With that depth and talent, Mississippi State won’t have to rely too heavily on its secondary for extended periods of time. Mississippi State, instead, can get to the quarterback and disrupt pass plays before they even really begin.