2023-11-22 00:52:36
WACO, Texas — Baylor football will conclude its 2023 season with a senior day matchup once morest West Virginia, with kickoff on Saturday at McLane Stadium slated for 6 p.m.
The game will be broadcast live on FS1, with Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst), and will also be broadcast live on the Baylor Sports Media Network, with John Morris (play-by-play), J.J. Joe (analyst) and Ricky Thompson (sideline) calling the action.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
• West Virginia, coached by former Kentucky wide receiver Neal Brown, comes into town having posted a 42-21 win over Cincinnati last weekend. WVU has won three of its last four games, including wins over BYU and UCF.
• Brown is assisted by assistant head coach Matt Moore, who has been with Brown since his days coaching Troy, offensive coordinator Chad Scott and defensive coordinators Jordan Lesley and Shadon Brown.
• WVU is averaging 31.4 points per game, and allowing 27.2. WVU averages 430.8 yards per game, including an impressive 232.9 yards rushing and 197.9 yards passing. Defensively, WVU allows 388.8 yards per game, with 242.2 passing and 146.6 rushing.
• WVU has seen RB CJ Donaldson rush for 776 yards and 11 scores, with Jahiem White adding 659 yards rushing and three TDs. QB Garrett Greene has thrown for 1,909 yards with 13 TDs and four interceptions, adding 605 yards rushing and 11 TDs. Kole Taylor and Hudson Clement each have four TD catches, with Devin Carter owning 501 yards receiving.
• Lee Kpogba leads the team with 81 tackles, owning 6.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks, with eight QB hurries.
SERIES HISTORY
• West Virginia leads the all-time series with Baylor, 7-4, with the Bears owning all four of their wins in the series at McLane Stadium.
• West Virginia will be looking for its first win in Waco since 2017, a 38-36 WVU victory.
• Last year, WVU rallied past the Bears for a 43-40 win, as QB Blake Shapen was in the midst of a historic game but was hit by a targeting penalty that kept him out of the game, despite throwing for 296 yards in the first half.
LAST MEETING
• Baylor suffered the loss at West Virginia on Thursday, Oct. 13, 43-40 as the Mountaineers rallied past the Bears to erase an electric offensive outing.
• The Bears rolled to 590 yards of total offense, including 421 through the air, but a key targeting penalty on an attempted slide from QB Blake Shapen led to a head injury for the signal caller and ended what was a historic outing for the sophomore. Shapen threw for 326 yards – including 294 in the first half – to lead the Bears to a 17-7 lead early and a 24-17 halftime lead despite a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown by WVU in the second quarter. Freshman QB Kyron Drones stepped up, throwing for 95 yards on 7 of 14 passing with a TD.
• The loss dampened the historic outing from senior WR Gavin Holmes, who caught seven balls for 210 yards and a score. He was the first Baylor player with a 200+ yard receiving game since KD Cannon in the 2016 Cactus Bowl.
• Richard Reese rushed for 57 yards on 13 carries, with Qualan Jones adding 44 yards and one TD on 10 totes. TE Drake Dabney had five catches for 66 yards.
• The WVU offense went for 500 yards of total offense, including 223 on the ground and 163 and two TDs from Tony Mathis.
LAST MEETING IN WACO
• Baylor routed West Virginia in the last meeting at home, a 45-20 win in Waco at McLane Stadium that improved the Bears to 6-1 and dropped WVU to 0-4 in the Big 12. The Bears opened up the game with a 28-10 lead at halftime, including a 21-point first quarter, to cruise to the win.
• BU QB Gerry Bohanon threw for a career-high 336 yards and four TDs, while also rushing for a score. Abram Smith rushed 11 times for 87 yards and a score, with Trestan Ebner toting it eight times for 53 yards. Tyquan Thornton had a monster game with eight grabs for 187 yards and two TDs, while Drew Estrada grabbed four balls for 90 yards and Ben Sims hauled in a pair of touchdowns. Defensively, Terrel Bernard had nine tackles, including a sack, while Brayden Utley chipped in six tackles and a stop for a loss. Jalen Pitre had an interception to go with five tackles.
SENIOR DAY
• Baylor will honor 18 seniors in a pre-game ceremony on Saturday at McLane Stadium.
• Those being honored include Clark Barrington, Bryce Boland, Gavin Byers, Jacoby Clarke, Jonathan Davidson, Elijah Ellis, TJ Franklin, Gabe Hall, Connor Heffernan ,BoChao Jin, Matt Jones, Landry Kinne, Mark Patton, Garmon Randolph, Justin Sambu, Mike Smith, Braden Strauss and Byron Vaughns.
– BaylorBears.com –
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