UTSA Defensive Players To Watch vs. Texas in Week 3

Texas will have to take advantage of UTSA’s defense if they want to win their final non-conference game on Saturday

Coming off of a near upset of No. 1 Alabama, there is a renewed buzz around the Texas Longhorns.

However, Texas faces yet another tough, albeit underrated opponent in Week 3, in the UTSA Road Runners.

UTSA, led by former Longhorns assistant Jeff Traylor, is coming off its best season in program history with a record of 12-2 and a win in the Conference-USA championship.

And so far in 2022, they have been a dangerous team, nearly upsetting the Houston Cougars in Week 1, and taking down a good Army team in Week 2.

Make sure to stick with LonghornsCountry.com through our season preview series, where we will analyze every opponent on the Longhorns schedule in 2022. We've already looked at the UTSA matchup as a whole and offensive players to watch on the Roadrunner's roster.

Now let's take a look at some of the defensive players Texas should have its eye on.

DB Rashad Wisdom

Wisdom has led the Roadrunners in tackles the last two seasons. In his three-year career at UTSA, Wisdom has totaled 226 tackles and five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. The Roadrunners will look to the First-Team All C-USA defensive back to be the leader of their defense in 2021.

LB Jamal Ligon

Ligon has had a very productive career as a Roadrunner. He has totaled 136 tackles and five sacks in two seasons. Ligon was a defensive end coming out of high school. His versatility gives UTSA someone who can tackle in open space and attack off the edge.

DE Trumane Bell II

Bell often started alongside First-Team All C-USA defensive end Clarence Hicks. Hicks set UTSA’s single sack record in 2021 with 10.5. Bell had a respectable five sacks in 2021 and 4.5 sacks in 2020. With Hicks off to the NFL, Bell will be asked to be the man who can consistently provide pressure on the quarterback. He has shown he is capable of doing so. The Texas offensive tackles will have trouble containing Bell off the edge. 

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You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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