Jackson is one of several players slated to play a bigger defensive line role.
W.Va.’s MORGANTOWN In West Virginia’s 49-14 victory over Albany on Saturday, the team sustained its first noteworthy injury of the season. Halfway through the second quarter, defensive lineman Edward Vesterinen was shaken up after he and Tyrin Bradley combined to bring down Faysal Aden of the Great Danes for a 1-yard loss. Vesterinen never came back into the game, and following it, WVU head coach Neal Brown announced that Vesterinen would “probably be out a few weeks” based on the team’s magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results.
The 107th Backyard Brawl from Acrisure Stadium will take place at Pitt on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Vesterinen had started 15 straight games at defensive tackle since the 2023 season’s opening. The senior, a native of Helsinki, Finland, has participated in 35 competitions since 2021. “Eddie’s leadership and his motor will be missed, but we have guys up there,” Brown remarked. Brown disclosed that T.J. Jackson will receive his first start as a Mountaineer while he was away.
Vesterinen had started 15 straight games at defensive tackle since the 2023 season’s opening. The senior, a native of Helsinki, Finland, has participated in 35 competitions since 2021. “Eddie’s leadership and his motor will be missed, but we have guys up there,” Brown remarked. Brown disclosed that T.J. Jackson will receive his first start as a Mountaineer while he was away. Jackson, a transfer from Troy, has impressed quickly in his debut season at WVU. In the first quarter of the team’s season-opening defeat at Penn State, he recovered a fumble. It’s the lone turnover the Mountaineers have forced thus far. Jackson also has one sack in addition to five tackles, three of which are for loss.
