Mizzou counting on seasoned secondary - STLtoday.com
For years, the Tigers’ strength has come in the trenches as the assembly line of all-conference players and NFL draft picks churned out star after star. In Gary Pinkel’s 14 seasons as head coach, 10 defensive linemen have earned first-team all-conference honors in either the Big 12 or SEC, compared to just two defensive backs, former cornerback E. J. Gaines and safety William Moore. This year, while Mizzou rebuilds its depth along the line, it’s the secondary that returns the established veterans. “A lot of guys are excited that the secondary is the most experienced group,” said cornerback Kenya Dennis, one of three returning starters on the back end of the defense. While Missouri’s front four has undergone a makeover with the departure of two veteran stars (Shane Ray and Markus Golden), one dismissal (Marcus Loud) and one season-ending injury (Harold Brantley), the Tigers return five players in the secondary... When the defense takes the field for the first practice of the season Thursday, just one lineman will have started a Division I game: defensive end Charles Harris, who has one career start. On the back end, Mizzou’s five veteran cornerbacks and safeties have started a combined 53 games, led by safety Ian Simon’s 22 starts, 14 for cornerback Aarion Penton (CBC) and 11 for Dennis. Source: www.stltoday.com
