Jordan Lesley says WVU’s defense hasn’t played its best game
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MORGANTOWN -- If West Virginia's 4-1 start this season that includes victory in each of its last four games ranks as one of college football's most surprising story lines, equally as stunning is the fact that they have done it with defense.
When the season started and the Mountaineers were picked 14th and last in the newly configured Big 12 Conference, no one expected the defense that a year ago finished 116th out of 131 Division I teams allowing 32.9 points a game to cut that average this season to 19 points a game, which ranks 30th in the nation.
With All-American Dante Stills gone to the NFL out of the defensive line, no one could have predicted that the total yards allowed by the defense would drop from 412.3 to 335.4, which is 36th in the nation and that the rush defense that gave up 149.6 yards a game and 4.1 yards per carry would stuff opponent offenses with 114.5 rushing yards per game, which is 36th nationally.
No one, that is, except those players who would not accept the performance as the norm for West Virginia; players who shook off the outside ridicule and replaced it with a belief in themselves.
So it is, as the offense early in the season has struggled to find an identity, scoring no more than 21 points in any of four outings against Division 1 opponents and averaging just 19 points in those games, the defense made that stand up with three victories in those four games.
From every seat in the stands to every fanny on a sofa or barstool watching the Mountaineers play, there is satisfaction in WVU's defense having exceeded expectations.
But from the depths of the locker room to the bench on the sidelines, there is a belief they have not yet reached the potential that exists in this defense.
"They probably have played up to the expectations of everybody else, but not to their own and they talk about that," defensive coordinator Jordan Leslie said on Monday. "We haven't played anywhere near as good as we want to play and we haven't played our best game yet. There's so many things we can clean up through five games."
Think about that for a moment. "We haven't played our best game yet," Lesley said, knowing full well that they held Pitt to 6 points, Texas Tech to 13 and TCU to 21.
What is the best game they can produce defensively?
No one is sure, but Lesley says "we have not haven't played close to what the guys believe they can."
He points to the TCU game in which they gave up three early touchdowns before tightening the screws, as an example.
"The TCU game -- and I'm not saying anything I haven't said to them -- their three touchdowns in the first half were not earned. There were three critical mistakes that directly led to points," Lesley said.
"Are you going to play a perfect game? No. Are you going to pitch a shutout every game? More than likely not. But you do strive for that. You have to point that out and it's hard sometimes when everybody is feeling pretty good after a win. You still have to correct those things."
They have had to overcome some problems along the way, beginning with Penn State proving itself to be much superior in the opener while ranked No. 7 in the country, a start that could have planted doubts.
But WVU played on. Then it suffered two cruel losses in the TCU game, having the team's best defensive player knocked out in Aubrey Burks and then having a rising star at linebacker, Trey Lathan, be lost for the year with a broken ankle.
They kept after it, seeking that perfect game.
"It's a tribute to two things … the guys who step up and have been leaders for us. If you ask them, every guy is going to mention Beanie Bishop, every guy is going to mention Lee Kpogba and probably Mike Lockhart and Eddie Vesterinen and Sean Martin," Lesley said.
"The whole group goes as they do. It's a tribute to them, but it's also a tribute to how every assistant coach handles their rooms and the message every week and getting them prepared for when those things happen."
Defensive tackle Eddie Vesterinen is an example of what Lesley means when he talks about the defensive players believing there is more meat on their bones.
"Personally, I have more in me. As a defense, we have to start faster. We haven't played our best defense yet," he said. "It's mental mistakes. There's a lot you can correct after a game and I am trying to correct those things."
One problem has been slow defensive starts … Pitt drove the field on its first possession for a score, and TCU scored three first-half touchdowns.
"Go back to the Pitt game," Vesterinen instructs. "Their first drive, they started rolling, but it was because of missed tackles. If we made those tackles, they wouldn't have had that drive. And Texas Tech, the same, it comes back to good fundamental football. As a defense we are waiting for someone to make that big play and then we start to play like a good defense."
Now comes Holgorsen and his high-flying offense presenting a whole different set of challenges, most of them through the air.