No. 4: Quarterback Sacks
Mississippi State football finished near the middle of the pack in 2019 with 26 quarterback sacks, averaging two per game. Bumping that number up will be a big priority for the new defensive staff.
Moving to a 3-3-5 defense will put less pressure on the defensive ends to constantly get pressure on the quarterback and make the Bulldogs defense less predictable. Arnett liked running some exotic blitz packages at San Diego State, and you can bet the corners safeties and outside linebackers are going to get involved in that part of the game.
Freshman DE Jordan Davis could see a lot of game time early in the season. If he stays healthy and plays the way he did in his last year of high school he’s going to become a problem for opposing offensive coordinators.
Look for the Bulldogs to up that sack average to maybe 2.5 to 3 per game, and as the secondary learns their schemes and craft a little more for the blitzing to increase through the season.