Mississippi State Football: 3 takeaways from upset win over No. 8 Auburn

2. Montez Sweat is Mississippi State’s best player

At 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, Montez Sweat is a lean, mean, pass rushing machine. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, along with head coach Joe Moorhead, are often the two people who are the face of Mississippi State. However, it is Montez Sweat is the clear leader on the Bulldog defense.

Since he is a defensive player, he doesn’t get the attention and recognition he deserves from fans. But Sweat has definitely been on the radar of opposing offensive lines.

Sweat plays the edge position, which is essentially a down linebacker whose job is to contain the outside on running plays, and put pressure on the quarterback during passing plays.

With less that two minutes left in the game, as Auburn was making its late comeback effort, Sweat blew past the Auburn right tackle and sacked Jarrett Stidham. These big plays are what make Sweat so valuable to the defense.

By playing in the SEC, Sweat proves he is capable of going up against the best offensive linemen in country and dominating. He is a definite first round draft choice in the 2019 NFL Draft who will be able to contribute to any NFL team. He will continue to help the Bulldogs win this season as well as his NFL team in the future.