MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia suffered its first significant injury hit of this season in Saturday’s 49-14 win against Albany.
Defensive lineman Edward Vesterinen was shaken up on a play halfway through the second quarter after he and Tyrin Bradley joined forces to bring down the Great Danes’ Faysal Aden for a 1-yard loss.
Vesterinen never returned to the contest, and after it, WVU head coach Neal Brown confirmed the team already magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results back, and that Vesterinen would “probably be out a few weeks.”
That starts with Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. affair at Pitt in the 107th edition of the Backyard Brawl from Acrisure Stadium.
Dating back to the start of the 2023 season, Vesterinen had started 15 straight games at defensive tackle. A native of Helsinki, Finland, the senior has appeared in 35 contests since 2021.
“We’ll miss Eddie and his leadership and the motor he plays with,” Brown said, “but we have guys up there.”
In his absence, Brown confirmed T.J. Jackson is set to get his first start as a Mountaineer.
A Troy transfer in his first season at WVU, Jackson has made a strong early impression. He recovered a fumble in the first quarter of a season-opening loss against Penn State. To this point, it’s the only turnover the Mountaineers have forced.
Jackson also has five tackles, including three for loss, and one sack.
“He’s probably been our most productive lineman through two weeks,” Brown said.
Defensive end Sean Martin and nose tackle Fatorma Mulbah figure to join Jackson on the first unit, though the Mountaineers will ask for more out of several other players — namely Asani Redwood and Hammond Russell.
“Asani Redwood’s reps will increase. Sean Martin has some flexibility to play the field and the boundary. He did that in the [Albany] game and we’ll continue to move him around,” Brown said. “Russell’s role will increase and I’ve been really pleased with how he’s played through two weeks. We hate it for Eddie, but we have enough guys that are quality players to be able to pick up the slack.”
Martin’s 79 defensive snaps through two games are the most of any player on the defensive line. Jackson has logged 65 and Redwood 58, while Russell has impressed through 54.
“We’re built very similar across the front in what we’re trying to do,” WVU defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley said. “TJ’s had two good games. We’ll just keep rolling.”
Jackson and Martin, with one sack apiece, have combined for all of the Mountaineers’ production in that area. West Virginia has struggled to affecting quarterbacks with any sort of consistency, and Brown hinted opportunities will also be available for less experienced players up front.
Several got the chance to showcase their capabilities against Albany, including a pair of true freshmen in Nate Gabriel and Elijah Kinsler.
Gabriel logged 25 snaps and Kinsler 18, while the duo combined for three tackles.
“Nate Gabriel is going to continue to play. We got him in the second or third series. He can play,” Brown said. “He’s big enough. He got some good push. Where Hammond has some position flexibility and he can play in the boundary as well, Nate can play the nose for us. I was pleased with him. Elijah Kinsler is another guy we got in. His role will have to increase if Eddie is going to miss any time.”
Regardless of which lineups the Mountaineers settle on along the defensive front, the unit as a whole will be tasked with trying to slow the Panthers’ newly-implemented fast-paced offense under first-year coordinator Kade Bell.
Bell spent the previous three seasons at Western Carolina, but his presence has changed Pitt’s offensive approach.
Early results are favorable, with the Panthers scoring 55 points in a season-opening win against Kent State, before overcome a 21-point deficit to rally for a 28-27 victory at Cincinnati in Week 2.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein, an Alabama transfer, has thrown for 638 yards and six touchdowns through his first two games as a Panther. Speedy tailback Desmond Reid has 293 rushing yards on only 33 carries.
“They’re playing really fast, using wide splits and they’re a little bit different each week,” Brown said. “The tempo is what sets them apart.”
