MORGANTOWN – First-half offensive fireworks turned into a second-half slog for the West Virginia University and Baylor University football teams. In the end, the Bears did just enough in the second half to pull safely away from the Mountaineers and run their winning streak to four games with a 49-35 victory Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium.
The loss snapped a two-game win streak for WVU (5-5, 4-3 Big 12) and dashed the Mountaineers’ slim hopes of sneaking into the conference title game. West Virginia has two more games – at home next Saturday against UCF and at Texas Tech on Nov. 30 – to pick up a sixth win needed for bowl eligibility.
“We have a disappointed group downstairs,” WVU coach Neal Brown said after the game, “staff and players. I told them I love them. That’s unconditional. We didn’t play good enough.”
The Bears (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) were led by four touchdowns from redshirt freshman Bryson Washington, three rushing and one receiving, as he finished with his third game over 100 rushing yards in his last four, finishing with 123 on 18 carries.
The loss also spoiled the comeback of WVU quarterback Garrett Greene, making his first appearance since leaving the Kansas State game after halftime with a head injury. Greene finished with 237 yards on 19-of-39 passing, two touchdowns and an interception and 129 yards rushing and two touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Mountaineers within striking distance.
Leading 35-28 in the fourth quarter, Baylor gave itself the necessary breathing room with a 10-play, 65-yard drive capped by Washington’s third rushing score. WVU attempted to respond on the next drive, but Greene threw his ninth interception of the season, this one to Baylor’s Corey Gordon.
Baylor was able to capitalize on that mistake with a Dawson Pendergrass 15-yard touchdown run on the ensuing drive.
One week after WVU’s defense could be credited with the Mountaineers’ win at Cincinnati, the unit was the culprit in the loss to Baylor. Familiar problems cropped up again – big plays, confusion among defenders and an inability to stop foes on third down.
WVU allowed 7.3 yards per play against Baylor, let the Bears convert eight of 13 third downs and, after forcing three turnovers and scoring on two against the Bearcats, forced no turnovers against Bayior.
The first half of Saturday’s game was a scoring smorgasbord, with both offenses moving nearly at will. When the smoke cleared at halftime, Baylor was leading WVU 35-28 and the two teams had combined for 35 first downs and 673 yards. The Bears had accumulated 335 total yards and 15 first downs and the Mountaineers had gathered 338 yards and 20 first downs.
A familiar problem once again cropped up for WVU’s defense – and inability to stop the pass. In the first half, Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson had completed 16 of 18 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns. None of those touchdown passes were shorter than 22 yards.
Robertson connected first with Bryson Washington for a 22-yard score, hit Josh Cameron for a 43-yard touchdown on the Bears’ next possession, then tossed a 40-yard touchdown to Monaray Baldwin.
Washington, who had rushed for 390 yards and six scores in Baylor’s three games previous to Saturday’s, added two touchdowns on the ground, bursting through the WVU defense for a 51-yard score and adding an eight-yarder with 47 seconds left in the half.
West Virginia wasn’t about to be left in the dust in the first half, thanks mostly to the returning Greene. He kept the Mountaineers in the game with both his arm and feet.
Greene opened the game’s scoring with a three-yard touchdown that capped a 12-play, 79-yard drive on WVU’s initial possession. He hit Traylon Ray for a nine-yard touchdown at the start of the second quarter which pulled WVU even with Baylor at 14-14. After C.J. Donaldson scored with 1:47 left in the half, Greene finished the first-half scoring with a one-yard touchdown run that pulled the Mountaineers back to within one touchdown.
On that final WVU drive, the Mountaineers were able to streak 75 yards down the field in just 47 seconds. It was sparked by Greene runs of 17 and 20 yards and a 44-yard throw by Greene to Hudson Clement on third and 17 from WVU’s 35.
Greene finished the first half with 117 yards passing and 116 yards rushing along with his three scores.
In a stark reversal of offensive fortunes, the third quarter stayed scoreless, though both teams had their opportunities to put points on the board. On their opening second-half drive, the Bears were able to drive down to WVU’s 33, but a holding call pushed Baylor back to the Mountaineer 43 and forced the Bears to try a 55-yard field goal. Isaiah Hankins’ attempt fluttered short of the goal post.
WVU was unable to take advantage of prime field position later in the third, after a Baylor punt put the Mountaineers on the Bear 48. West Virginia was able to drive to Baylor’s 9, but Greene’s throw to tight end Kole Taylor on fourth and 2 went for no gain.
“What we haven’t been able to do consistently this year is have all three groups play together at one time,” Brown said. “The first half, offensively, we functioned at a really high level. Defense, we didn’t play very well. Special teams, we didn’t play very well. And then the second half comes around, there was much improvement in our special teams. We got three or four stops, then offensively, we don’t play well.
“We didn’t get it done in winning time,” he added.
Robinson finished with 329 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-36 passing for Baylor. Cameron led Baylor with 101 receiving yards and a touchdown on five catches. Clement led WVU’s receivers with 71 yards on three catches. Ray was carted off the field with a leg injury and did not return. Kole Taylor scored WVU’s final touchdown on an 11-yard pass from Greene.
— Story by Derek Redd
