Five games into the season, the West Virginia defense has improved each and every week, especially in the secondary. However, defensive lineman Eddie Vesterinen has made many improvements and expects the defense to continue to grow.
In a large group of talented defensive linemen, Vesterinen has put up 15 tackles, one and a half tackles for loss and half a sack for the Mountaineers in five starts, but he has played the most consistent football of his career and has stepped up to fill a starting role.
"I think I have more in me and as a whole defense we have to start faster. We haven't played our best defense yet," Vesterinen said.
Although Vesterinen believes the defense has room to grow, West Virginia's defensive unit has continued to improve each game, forcing three turnovers against Pittsburgh before making stops in succession against a high-powered Texas Tech offense and coming up in the big moments by blocking two fourth-quarter field goal attempts against TCU.
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Outside of the unit surrounding him, there's been a lot of challenges this season for the Finnish native, and aspects of playing football at this level that have been surprising now that he's solidified a starting role.
"With tape back home, I didn’t really watch tape I just wanted to play. Here you have to have a good feel for what type of game you’re stepping into and what type of guys you’re going against," Vesterinen said. "It's important for me to know where the individual weaknesses are and gameplan for each individual lineman."
Since his journey began in Morgantown in 2021, Vesterinen has been extremely detail oriented in his role. The junior defensive tackle analyzes his opponents and has used that to his advantage in the trenches this season.
"The type of tips I can get, is he’s lining up far from center, his depth, when does he put his hand down and keep his hands on the thighs. Some offensive linemen, they look at the guy they're going to block before the play even starts," Vesterinen said. "There is a lot of small things you can pick up and at the end of the day it's about the feel and the instincts. Try to to engage with him, evade him."
Vesterinen not only focuses on the details in his game and how he can improve, but he also brings intangible qualities like hard work and a high motor and a 'no-complain' attitude that stands out for defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley.
"The thing that sticks out to me about Eddie is you'll never hear him complain, he just keeps playing," Lesley said.
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