USM cornerback Brendan Toles back from injury and ready for fall

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – Southern Miss hopes to avoid the wave of injuries that plagued its defensive backfield last season.

Brendan Toles had a promising start to his junior season as a cornerback before suffering a torn ACL after just three games.

He admits it was tough watching from the sidelines last year, but it helped him gain a new perspective.

“I learned that little things matter,” Toles said. “An inch counts, a foot counts. We just have to stay technical with the things we do and try to be perfect. With the system [defensive coordinator Clay] Bignell has, it's meant for the DBs to make a lot of plays. It's meant for the D-Line to get to the quarterback, disrupt the quarterback and help us make some plays on the backend.”

“Not only in my room, but especially with the DBs, a lot of guys missed the spring that had our backs,” Bignell said.[Toles] is one we're going to rely on. The guys who couldn't make it through the spring need a little time to get back on their feet. But he's a guy who's started pretty well, so we're excited about him.”

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