West Virginia’s 49-35 loss against Baylor (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) in Morgantown on Saturday ended their last aspirations of making it to the Big 12 title game. In an intense first half, the Mountaineers (5-5, 4-3 Big 12) swapped scores with Baylor. After missing the previous two games due to an upper-body ailment, Garrett Greene made his Mountaineers debut and immediately made an impression.
He gave WVU the lead with a 3-yard keeper on the opening drive of the game, and he later tied the score at 14–14 with a tipped 9-yard touchdown pass to Traylon Ray. The Mountaineers were within 35-28 going into the locker room after Greene added a 2-yard rushing touchdown shortly before halftime.
In the first half, West Virginia had 338 yards of offense, but they were unable to maintain that output in the second half.
After halftime, the Mountaineer defense came into play, forcing three straight stops, including two punts and a missed field goal. But WVU’s offense was unable to take advantage of these chances. Two crucial fourth-down efforts by the Mountaineers were unsuccessful: a fourth-and-one from the Baylor 9-yard line and a subsequent fourth-and-6 from the Baylor 35.
In the fourth quarter, Baylor extended their advantage with a 10-play touchdown drive, and the Bears won for the first time ever in Morgantown thanks to a late interception.
Garrett Greene ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns on 22 attempts and completed 19 of 39 passes for 237 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
With five receptions for 56 yards and a score, Kole Taylor topped the receiving corps. Hudson Clement came in second with three catches for 71 yards. CJ Donaldson Jr. ran for 60 yards and a touchdown on nine tries, while Jahiem White contributed 67 yards on 16 carries.
Trey Lathan recorded three solo tackles, including one tackle for loss, while Reid Carrico recorded 16 total tackles, including two solo tackles. Dontez Fagan contributed a tackle for loss, while Sean Martin recorded a sack as well.