Louisiana Tech Defensive Players to Watch vs. Mizzou in Week 1
The Missouri Tigers are hoping to turn the corner heading into their third season under head coach Eli Drinkwitz after a 6-7 campaign and a bowl loss to Army.
One way to do that will be to improve the offense, which struggled mightily at times in 2021.
And despite some significant turnover, the Tigers will have plenty of optimism heading into the new season and have a favorable beginning to the schedule heading into the year.
The first test for the Tigers' new-look offense will be against the Lousiana Tech Bulldogs, led by first-year coach Sonny Cumbie, who looks to bring a new level of excitement to Ruston next fall.
The Bulldogs will be coming off of a disappointing 3-9 campaign under Skip Holtz, who recently departed for the USFL.
With that in mind, here are a few defensive players to watch for the Bulldogs when they head to Columbia in Week 1.
LB - Tyler Grubbs
The Bulldogs leading returning tackler from 2021, Tyler Grubbs finished last season with 97 tackles to his name and was a second-team All-CUSA selection. Grubbs is the heart and soul of the Bulldogs' defense and will look to continue his production with a new-look defensive unit.
DE - Deshon Hall
The Bulldogs lacked a pass rush in 2021, and Deshon Hall was the lone bright spot in a group that underperformed. Hall finished the year with a team-high 2.5 sacks. With some depth behind him now, he should be able to improve those numbers in 2022
S - BeeJay Williamson
Like Hall was for the pass rush, safety BeeJay Williamson was the lone bright spot in the secondary for the Bulldogs. He finished with a team-high three interceptions and has some incoming help on the corners via the transfer market.
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