Mountaineer Miscues let Baylor off the Hook

Waco, TX – Despite an impressive defensive that produced eight sacks on the night - five coming from the Stills brothers, Dante (2) and Darius (3), the West Virginia Mountaineers fall to the No. 12 Baylor Bears 17-14 Thursday night.

The offense continued to struggle only producing 219 yards of total offense, a measly 14 yards on the ground, several dropped passes and seven points. While the Baylor offense put up 453 of total offense, the West Virginia defense time and time again stood tall holding the Bears to just 17 points. A team that averaged 38.9 points per game.

Neal Brown sent a statement early keeping his offense in the field for a fourth and a half a yard from their 31-yard line and quarterback Austin Kendall converted on the keeper. However, three plays later the offense was forced to punt.

The West Virginia defense held Baylor to three and outs on their first three series. The Bears started to get into a groove late in the first quarter after a targeting call on Josh Norwood on third and one kept the drive alive. Quarterback Charlie Brewer capitalized five plays later connecting to RJ Sneed for the 13-yard touchdown pass.

While the offense continued to struggle, the defense was relentless recording five sacks in the first half and a big goal-line stand late in the second quarter kept Baylor out of the endzone on four consecutive plays to keep it a one-score game.

On the first play of the second half, Brewer hit Denzel Mims over the middle, but corner Hakeem Bailey and Keith Washington recovered.

The offense started to get into a rhythm and drove the ball down to the Baylor 10-yard line until a premature snap got by Kendall and the Bears recovered at the 37.

The Mountaineer defense forced Baylor to punt at midfield and West Virginia took over at their 17-yard line. Then, on the first play from scrimmage, Austin Kendall hit George Campbell over the middle – broke a tackle and raced to the endzone for an 83-yard touchdown tying the game at 7.

Charlie Brewer and the Baylor offense quickly responded with a seven-play 75-yard drive finished off with a 21-yard touchdown pass to put the Bears back up seven.

West Virginia immediately tied the game when freshman Winston Wright took the ensuing kickoff 95 yards knotting the game up at 14.

Baylor put together the go-ahead scoring drive beginning late in the third quarter midway through the fourth quarter chewing up six minutes of the clock but settled for a field goal to take a 17-14 lead.

On the following possession, the West Virginia offense went three and out and Baylor had the momentum. However, on the punt, RJ Sneed muffed it and WVU recovered at the Bears 31-yard line.

The Mountaineers could only muster up eight yards of total offense to setup freshmen Casey Legg from 43-yards. Nonetheless, WVU let the play clock run out as the ball was snapped and the kick was good, but the penalty negated the field goal – pushing the kicker five yards back. After the penalty and on a 48-yard try the kick was blocked.

Baylor drove the ball down to the WVU 35-yard line before they were forced to punt and pinned WVU back at their own five with only 38 seconds to play as the Mountaineers run out of time and fall 17-14.