Linebacker starts season off strong despite past injury

Jasmine Casimir // Assistant Sports Director

Minor setbacks may have kept some Panthers from showing their skills during the season opener. But for senior linebacker Treyvon Williams, his setback set him up for a comeback and a powerful performance against the Indiana University Hoosiers. 

The 6-foot, 229-pounder was hit with the injury bug last season that hurt the Panthers defensively. Williams was a very important piece to their puzzle before his season-ending injury, leading the defense in tackles. After missing an ample amount of playing time, Williams went into the offseason with a plan to come back and pick up right where he left off.

“It’s been a long time, and it felt really good,” Williams said.

Moving into this season, it was obvious that the Miami native was not going to let his minor setback affect his contribution to the team, leading the defense with 13 tackles and one recorded sack for a loss of seven yards for Indiana’s offense.

The Panthers kept their foot on the gas up until the fourth quarter when Indiana took advantage and put up 22 unanswered points.

“We just stopped executing like we were earlier on in the game, and that kind of just let the game get away from us,” Williams said. “They’re a good team and they came out and executed pretty well on offense. They ran the ball, passed the ball so we just need to go into the film room and correct everything.”

Williams is known to be one of the leaders on the team, and with him at the helm of the leadership, the defense can maintain efficiency and have a successful season.