In the 17-10 loss to the Ohio Bobcats, one position group did not have the game that many of them probably wanted to have. Especially considering this was going to be one of their prime opportunities to have a great game from the defensive line position.
Entering the game on Saturday, one position group for the Ohio Bobcats on the offensive side of the ball came in as one of the biggest question marks for Ohio, and an area that WVU could have really dominated. The offensive line for Ohio is very inexperienced, replacing four starters from the MAC Championship team just a season ago, including their starting center from last season, Parker Tittsworth, who was a six-year player for the Bobcats. On paper, the WVU defensive line could have really exploited the Bobcats' inexperience up front and pinned their ears back going after quarterback Parker Navarro.
By the final whistle, WVU managed to get three sacks on Ohio throughout the entire game. Two of those sacks came from linebacker Chase Wilson (recording seven total tackles, two tackles for loss, and one interception). The remaining sack was contributed to safety Fred Perry. As for true defensive linemen for the Mountaineers, the night was very quiet for them.
Asani Redwood and Comeback Player of the Year candidate Edward Vesterinen were the only defensive linemen to record five or more tackles, recording six and five total tackles, respectively. No defensive lineman recorded a sack, more than 0.5 tackle for loss, or quarterback hit the entire game. The lone defensive lineman who recorded a 0.5 tackle for loss was Eddie Kelly Jr.
Hear me out, I am not trying to say that success from the defense can only come from the trenches on defense. However, there was good reason to expect some success from the starting defensive linemen in a game against the starting center transferred from Dartmouth in the Ivy League. Outside of Ohio’s starting center, Nick Marinaro, Ohio brought in three other offensive linemen, a season removed from their MAC Championship. Shedrick Rhodes Jr., a transfer from Rutgers University, Trent Allen, a transfer from Davenport, and Jordan Jones Jr., who had only appeared in 12 games over three seasons before 2025.
It would’ve been nice to see the defensive line have a great game and control the line of scrimmage. But the loss does not belong on the shoulders of the defensive line nor the defense as a whole. Ohio only managed to score 17 points, so there were a good number of things that went right for the WVU defense. This game was just a good chance, at least on paper, for the defensive line to be able to make game-changing plays.