West Virginia DL ‘took it very personal’ when Penn State football scored late in 2023

It’s game week for the first time in 2024 for the Penn State football team. With football in the air, players from the West Virginia sidelines have been vocal about the mission they are on Saturday. A mission that’s fueled by revenge and the memory of a late Nittany Lion QB Beau Pribula touchdown that is in the center of it. On Monday, WVU DL Edward Vesterinen spoke about his anger surrounding the play.

Last season, the Penn State football team hosted the West Virginia Mountaineers in week one of the 2023 season. The game was competitive but the Nittany Lions pulled away late in the game. With five seconds left, Beau Pribula scored on a five-yard scamper.

On Monday, West Virginia defensive lineman Edward Vesterinen was asked about the play. A play that Vesterinen happened to be on the field for.

“Of course, that upset us,” Vesterinen said. “This past week on the TVs before our meetings and everything, that’s the only clip we’ve been replaying. I’ve seen that clip about 100 times in the past week. It just angers me.

“I even know the celebration they got, one O-lineman did. I took it very personal and I hope everybody on our team took it very personal.”

James Franklin and Neal Brown shared different opinions of this play last season

Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Following the 38-15 defeat last season, Neal Brown spoke about the final score that Penn State put on the board. Brown wasn’t pleased with James Franklin and his decision to run another play.

“I wouldn’t have done it, but it doesn’t bother me,” Brown said. “Stuff like that, what comes around goes around. At some point, it’ll come back around. I don’t know when. It doesn’t bother me. I’m not upset about it.”

But Franklin countered with a reasonable explanation on the matter.

“I believe that, from the opening kick to the last whistle, you compete and you play,” he said. “Now, if you leave your 1s [first-team] in, that’s a different story. Then you should change how you play, and you take knees and run in situations that you normally wouldn’t run in. That’s different. But when your 2s go in the game, those guys get a limited amount of reps. They should have a chance to compete.”

Regardless of who is right or wrong here, one thing is certain. These two teams have history and look to settle it on the field on Saturday with kickoff slated for noon EST on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff.

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