BAYLOR-WEST VA.
WHEN: 7 P.M. SATURDAY. WHERE: McLANE STADIUM, WACO. TV: FS1. | RADIO: 1070 AM.
Winless Bears will have hands full against Mountaineers’ attack.
Records: Baylor 0-6, 0-3 Big 12; No. 23 West Virginia 4-2, 2-1. Series history: West Virginia leads 3-2. Key players: Baylor — QB Zach Smith, RB Terence Williams, LB Taylor Young; West Virginia — QB Will Grier, WR Ka’Raun White, S Kyzir White.
Who has the edge
Offense — West Virginia. The Mountaineers are fifth in scoring (44.2) and sixth in total yards (547). They’re dangerous in the red zone, securing 23 TDs (12 passing) in 29 trips, and they’re sixth in first downs, with 169 (88 passing) in six games. The five teams ahead of them have seven games apiece. Grier is 151-of-230 for 2,092 yards, 21 TDs and five INTs. RB Justin Crawford has 609 yards and seven TDs on 94 rushes. Defense — West Virginia. The Mountaineers aren’t a stingy team, allowing 453.8 yards per game, which ranks way down at No. 111. But the Bears are giving yards way at a prolific pace (517.7), leaving them at No. 126 out of 130 FBS teams. They’re 118 against the pass and 120 against the run. The Mountaineers, at least, do a good job on third downs, holding opponents to 31of-92 (33.7 percent). Special teams — Baylor. K Connor Martin is 11-of-13 on FGs. He went 3-for-3 against Oklahoma State, converting from 38, 40 and 29 yards. P Drew Galitz ranks 14th at 45.2 yards per punt. West Virginia P Billy Kinney is at 39.1 yards per punt, and K Mike Molina is 4-of-7 on FGs. Notable: The Bears and Mountaineers have alternated wins since their first meeting in 2012, combining for plenty of points along the way. But last year’s matchup was the lowest-scoring so far, with West Virginia winning 2421 after rallying from an early 14-3 deficit. Baylor won 73-42 in 2013 and 6238 in 2015.
About Baylor: The Bears are halfway to total futility and their first winless season since going 0-10 in 1969. After seeming to turn a corner in a close loss to Oklahoma, they fell 33-20 to Kansas State and 59-16 last week against Oklahoma State, which led 35-10 at halftime. Smith was 11 of 28 passing for 127 yards, no TDs and one INT, and the defense gave up 471 passing yards and 7.3 yards per carry (38-276) – for 747 total yards. About West Virginia: The Mountaineers rallied from a 35-17 deficit to devastate Texas Tech 46-35, scoring 21 points in the fourth and the final 29 unanswered. Grier threw for 352 yards and five TDs, with WR David Sills V securing three TD passes and WR Ka’Raun White catching eight balls for 114 yards and two scores.