Louisiana Tech Defensive Players to Watch vs. Mizzou in Week 1

The Tigers will face a rebuilding Bulldogs defense in Week 1

Matt Galatzan | Aug 31, 2022

Louisiana Tech Defensive Players to Watch vs. Mizzou in Week 1 /

In this story:

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.

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

Follow MizzouSportsTalk.com on Facebook and Twitter!

Want More Tigers News? Check Out The Latest In Mizzou Tigers News Here

Published Aug 31, 2022

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of MizzouSportsTalk.com, AllAggies.com and LonghornsCountry.com, as well as the Editor-In-Chief of InsideTheBears.com, TheGroveReport.com, RamDigest.com, AllSeahawks.com, and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com