Countdown to Kickoff – Baylor Game Day Preview

On By Littum


Milan Puskar Stadium tailgate



Soccer


John Anthony





























Story of the tape
Points per game 33.6 29.0
Points against 26.8 27.9
rushing yards per game 185.0 190.0
Rushing yards allowed per game 144.1 125.4
Passing yards per game 234.3 198.4
Passing Yards Allowed per game 229.7 263.0
Total Yards per game 419.3 388.4
Total yards allowed per game 373.8 388.4
First Downs For 190 194
First Downs Against 186 187
Fumble/Lost 9/5 12/3
Interceptions/Return yards 7/105 4/101
Net puncture 45.2 42.2
Field Goal/Try 14/10 10/11
Time of Possession 26:06 30:53
3. Down conversions 48/120 48/117
3. Down Conversion Defense 45/132 51/111
4. Down conversions 26/15 26/17
4. Down Conversion Defense 15/21 17/11
Sacks By/Yards Lost 18/139 18/137

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Mountaineer week at West Virginia University concludes with a military appreciation game against Baylor today at Milan Puskar Stadium.

Kickoff at 4pm to accommodate ESPN2 television coverage means the contest will begin in daylight and finish under the lights.


“We’ve played well in these Veterans Day games and Military Appreciation games over the last couple of years,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown said, “and we have a lot of our players’ family and staff’s family who have either been in the military or currently active in the military, so this is a game that’s really important to us.”


Brown calls Baylor “one of the hottest teams in the Big 12” right now based on its three-game streak that features wins over Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and TCU. In those games, the Bears have averaged 44.7 points, including 59 in a 24-point win over the Red Raiders on Oct. 19.


Baylor offensive coordinator Jake Spavital is a familiar name to Mountaineer fans, having run former coach Dana Holgorsen’s offense here on two separate occasions while also boasting the head coaching job at Texas State.


The 39-year-old has been in the coaching business since he was 23 and returns to Morgantown for the first time since 2018.


Baylor’s offense found its way when Spavital turned to junior quarterback Sawyer Robertson to run the offense after Dequan Finn was hurt in the Utah loss.


Robertson passed for 248 yards in the Air Force win and has thrown for at least 222 yards in every game since the BYU loss. He threw for 274 yards and five touchdowns against Texas Tech and had three touchdown passes against Oklahoma State. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder has also accounted for four touchdowns on the ground.


Bryson Washington, a 6-foot, 203-pound redshirt freshman, has emerged as the team’s leading ground gainer with 576 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s coming off a season-high 196 yards and four touchdowns in the TCU win two weeks ago.


Dawson Pendergrass, a 6-foot-2, 218-pound sophomore, and Richard Reese, a 5-foot-9, 181-pound junior, are listed as co-starters on Baylor’s depth chart.


The Bears have rushed for 255, 343 and 257 yards in their last three games and are now averaging 185 yards per carry. competition on the ground.


Sophomore Josh Cameron is a two-way threat as the team’s leading receiver with 29 catches for 424 yards and seven touchdowns on offense while doubling as one of the nation’s leading punt returners with a 20.7 average, which includes a 73- yard return against Texas Tech.


Baylor’s kick return game is once again formidable with senior Jamaal Bell returning a punt 100 yards for a touchdown against Colorado and averaging 24.8 yards per punt. return. Of course, the Mountaineers gave up two kickoff returns for touchdowns in last year’s 34-31 win over the Bears in Waco.


“Probably the scariest aspect of Baylor right now is their return units. They kicked two kickoff returns against us last year down at Baylor, and both their punt returners and their kickoff returners are really dangerous,” Brown said.


Safeties coach Matt Powledge holds the title of defensive coordinator, but head coach Dave Aranda is the signal-caller again, and the Bears have made an improvement across the board since last season.


Two weeks ago, Baylor limited TCU to 105 yards rushing, a week after the Bears held Oklahoma State to just 74 yards on 34 attempts.


Middle linebacker Matt Jones is having an outstanding year with 82 tackles, 8½ tackles for loss, three sacks, five pass breakups, three quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.


Garmon Randolph, a 6-foot-8, 260-pounder, tallies 3½ sacks, while his backup, Steve Linton, has three sacks from Baylor’s Jack position.


Nine different players have generated sacks and six different players have intercepted passes, led by backup strongman Corey Gordon Jr.’s two for 37 yards.


Most recently, Baylor (5-4, 3-3) defeated TCU 37-34 on Isaiah Hawkins’ 33-yard walk-off field goal with no time on the clock. The Bears are on the road for the first time since Oct. 19 when they routed Texas Tech at Jones AT&T Stadium.


West Virginia (5-4, 4-2), meanwhile, got two defensive touchdowns and some great special teams play from the return Preston Fox and tips Oliver Straw outlasting Cincinnati 31-24. At one point, the Mountaineers led 24-7 before the Bearcats rallied.



Anthony Wilson Jr 79-yard interception return, and a 14-yard fumble return Tyrin Bradley Jr. helped offset Cincinnati’s significant advantage in total yardage and time of possession, fueled by a 79 to 43 edge in total play.


It was West Virginia’s first game with Jeff Koonz supervision of the defence. He was named interim defensive coordinator after West Virginia’s 31-26 win at Arizona.


West Virginia is 3-0 in road games, but just 1-2 in Big 12 action at Milan Puskar Stadium. The Mountaineers rallied to defeat Kansas 32-28 and lost 28-16 to Iowa State and 45-18 to Kansas State.


“We’ve got to put a much better product on the field this Saturday compared to the last time we played here against Kansas State,” Brown noted. “We’re a much better football team and we’ve got to go out there and show it.”


WVU also lost 34-12 at home to Penn State, which is now ranked fourth in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 Poll.


WVU and Baylor are among 12 league teams still in contention for the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship Game to be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, December 3rd. The conference enters Week 12 with seven teams already bowl eligible three others just one win away, including WVU and Baylor.


The Big 12 also owns the second-highest Sagarin rating in the FBS behind only the SEC.


Here is today’s countdown to Kickoff:


10 – West Virginia’s 40 total penalties rank TENTH among all FBS teams this week.


9 – West Virginia’s offense has scored NINE touchdowns on first down so far this season. Most touchdowns, 11, have occurred on second down.


8 –Tyrin Bradley Jr two fumble recoveries rank eighth nationally this week.


7 – The Big 12 has SEVEN teams now bowl eligible and three are one win away, including both teams playing here this afternoon.


6 – The Mountaineers have won all SIX meetings against Baylor in Morgantown, including a 43-40 shootout in 2022.


5 – West Virginia is ranked FIFTH nationally this week, averaging just 32.2 penalty yards per game.


4 – The Mountaineer defense has recorded at least FOUR tackles for loss in 27 of their last 30 games.


3 – Quarterback Nicco Marchiol scored his THIRD career rushing touchdown in Saturday’s 31-24 win at Cincinnati.


2 – The Big 12 enters Week 12 with the SECOND-highest Sagarin rating in the FBS behind the SEC.


1 – According to PFF College, left tackle Wyatt Milum is ranked FIRST in the nation among all tackles with a grade of 91.5%. In 214 snaps this season, he hasn’t allowed a pressure, sack or quarterback.


Mike Monaco, Kirk Morrison and Dawn Davenport will handle the call on ESPN2 for today’s game, while Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning will oversee Mountaineer Sports Network’s radio coverage on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.


Radio coverage begins at 1pm with the GoMart Mountaineer Tailgate Show.


WVU concludes the home leg of its schedule next Saturday, Nov. 23 against UCF. The regular season ends at Texas Tech on Saturday, Nov. 30.