Unlike its counterpart on the offensive side of the line, the experienced and deep experience defensive WVU is expected to help anchor the 2009 season. Because of WVU’s unusual 3-3-5 stack defense, the Mountaineers play a three-man line, which is expected to plug up gaps, occupy double-teams and create chaos so linebackers can make tackles. They are not expected, specifically, to be pass-rushers. Most of WVU’s sacks come from blitzing linebackers and defensive backs. That said, if this line has sufficient talent and speed, it can get into the backfield on its own. Witness the 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma, whose massive-but-slow offensive linemen couldn’t contain WVU’s speedy pass-rushers without holding them. The leader of the defensive line unit this year is Scooter Berry, who only seems like an ninth-year senior. Berry has been at WVU since 2006 and was a come-along fullback with half-brother Jason Gwaltney, a highly recruited running back now largely lost to history, who ate, injured and slacked his way out of WVU numerous times. Thankfully, Berry didn’t get his kin’s work ethic. Switched to defensive line, Berry has found a home as a strong and fast pass-rusher with good hands. At 6-foot-1 and nearly 300 pounds, the redshirt junior(!) is tough to move around. Next to Berry is nose tackle Chris Neild (seen in the photo above), who came on strong last year in a largely thankless role, noticed much more by coaches and opposing players than fans. Neild, a 6-foot-2, nearly 300-pound redshirt junior, is being hailed by coaches as one to watch this season. Here’s all he did last season, which is not bad for a guy expected pretty much to stand his ground: 47 tackles, including 17 solo, 2.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. He also had a forced fumble and a pass breakup. The battle for the third spot on the defensive line is between rangy 6-foot-4, 250-pound redshirt sophomore Julian Miller and 6-foot-3, 250-pound redshirt junior Larry Ford. Of course, if the Hawaiian Yeti ever materializes in Morgantown, he could see playing time, as well. Here, we refer to the mysterious Tevita Finau, the now-legendary junior college player who has submitted three—count ‘em, three—commitment letters to WVU and whose academic record and transcript are apparently as complicated and hard to transfer as the Rosetta Stone. This cat is supposed to be big—6-foot-5 and 250 pounds—and fast—a natural pass-rushing blitz machine. That is, if he actually exists. I will go on record here and now saying that Finau will not play one down—ever—for the Mountaineers and will be pleased if I am proved wrong. Even if he makes it through all the NCAA hoops and gets to Morgantown, there’s no guarantee that he can actually play, and play well, at the Big East level. Here's some video that allegedly shows Finau, but I can’t swear that it’s not an elaborate CGI hoax.