The Baylor Bears defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers, 49-35, in Big 12 action at Milam Puskar Stadium on Saturday in Morgantown, W.V.
Garrett Greene returned for the Mountaineers (5-5, 4-3 in Big 12) after a four-week absence due to injury.
This game was a contrast from the first half to the second half. The first half saw the Bears (6-4, 4-3) and Mountaineers score more combined points (63) than any other Big 12 game this season. The second half saw Baylor scoring 14 fourth-quarter points and its defense shut out West Virginia until it scored in the final minute.
It was Baylor’s first win in program history in Morgantown.
Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Bryson Washington rushed for 123 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Ashtyn Hawkins caught a team-high seven passes for 52 yards. Josh Cameron caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Greene threw for 237 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in his return. He also rushed for a whopping 129 yards and two scores. The Mountaineers missed his dual-threat ability. Kole Taylor caught five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
A POINTED FIRST HALF
The first half was one of the most entertaining halves of football one will see all year.
The Bears and the Mountaineers combined for nine touchdowns as Baylor took a 35-28 lead. That included five touchdowns in the final 4:22, capped by Mountaineer quarterback Garrett Greene’s controversial 1-yard run to end the half (there wasn’t a conclusive replay angle to determine if he really crossed the plane or not, so it stood).
The first half was all about offense. Here was the damage:
BU and WVU combined for 673 total yards, 357 passing yards, 316 rushing yards, 35 first downs and 6-of-10 on third-down conversions. They also combined for 81 plays.
Amid all of that, West Virginia somehow dominated time of possession by nearly a two-to-one margin. Neither team turned the football over.
Big plays were the order of the day. Five of the nine touchdowns were 20 yards or more.
If these two teams had played like this all year, the Big 12 race would look a lot different.
SO WHAT HAPPENED?
Adjustments much? After an insane first half, the defenses buckled down in the second half. Baylor got three drives in the third quarter and two ended with punts and another with a missed field-goal attempt. West Virginia got two drives. One ended with a punt and another ended on downs.
In fact, the Mountaineers saw their first drive of the fourth quarter end on downs. That’s when Baylor finally, mercifully, broke the ice with a Washington touchdown run, his fourth of the game, to take a two-score lead.
It was incredible to watch both offenses just fail to get it done after a half in which both units completely got it done. Baylor trusted Washington to get that score early in the fourth quarter and that ended up finishing off West Virginia.
BOWLING FOR JOB SECURITY
Entering the game each team needed a win to become bowl-eligible. Both coaches need a little help, too, in order to ensure they could return in 2025.
Baylor coach Dave Aranda has benefited from the move to Robertson. Dequan Finn’s injury early this season helped pave the way. But by this point Robertson is unquestionably the man. He’s the biggest reason the Bears are not only heading to a bowl game but that Aranda will, more likely than not, return to Waco in 2025. No guarantees, though.
As for West Virginia’s Neal Brown, he squandered a lot of goodwill earlier this season with the Mountaineers’ tepid start, including a loss to Pitt in the Backyard Brawl. I covered that game. The natives were truly restless.
The Mountaineers bounced back and won four of their next six after the Pitt loss. I’m not sure that saved his job, necessarily. But he just needs one more win to get WVU back to a bowl game. But, after last season, that may not be enough.
We’ll see. I’m not fully convinced both will be back in 2025.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
