MORGANTOWN- The Mountaineers head into Baylor this weekend looking to gain the respect of the entire nation.
An upset last weekend against Oklahoma State wasn’t enough for most experts and college football fans, but a huge road win against the Bears could change the fortune.
The Bears have the leading offense in all of college football, and currently sit No. 17 in the AP Top 25. Baylor has totaled 2,254 yards in three games this season while scoring 209 points. Mountaineer Defensive Coordinator Keith Patterson says it looks like Baylor is playing basketball.
“It looks like their playing basketball on grass,” said Patterson.
On defense, the Bears have allowed just 23 points. They also have four scores on defense as a unit.
The statistics put up by Baylor early on this season have the Mountaineers entering Waco as 28-point underdogs. Sophomore redshirt receiver K.J. Myers had this to say about the situation.
“We still aren’t respected,” said Myers. “We are gonna go out and show the world what we can do.”
The Mountaineer defense is also feeding off of being underdogs, and hope to get a shutout against the high powered Baylor offense. According to linebacker Jared Barber, the team is going into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder.
“We aren’t getting much credit,” said Barber. “That just gives us extra motivation to go out and prove everyone wrong.”
Saturday will be the second meeting between the Bears and Mountaineers as members of the Big 12 Conference. Last year in Morgantown, Baylor and West Virginia put on an offensive clinic for fans. The two teams combine for 1,507 yards, and 133 points. At the end of the day, the Mountaineers escaped with a 70-63 victory.
Sophomore safety Karl Joseph remembers the game, but not for the memorable numbers. Baylor quarterback Nick Florence connected with receiver Lanear Simpson on a 67-yard pass play as the final seconds of the first half ticked off the clock. Joseph recalls that play as a nightmare.
“It’s one of those plays that you want to forget, but it never seems to disappear,” said Joseph.
Both teams enter the game this season with a host of new faces. Gone for the Mountaineers are school record holders Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. For Baylor, they will be without receiver Terrence Williams and quarterback Nick Florence.
Another on- field difference will be uniforms. Both teams will be sporting new combos this weekend under the lights on national television. The Bears will be debuting the all black combination with a shiny gold helmet.
The Mountaineers will be going with a traditional combination, wearing white on white with a blue helmet for the first time this season.
The game will be played at 8 p.m eastern time, and be broadcast by Fox Sports 1.
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