By Shehan Jeyarajah
Sports Editor
No. 4 Baylor football trails Big 12 rival West Virginia at the break 24-20 in Morgantown, W. Va.
The Bears’ greatest disparity has been in penalty yards. Baylor has been called for 10 penalties that have cost them 117 penalty yards. The Mountaineers were also called for five penalties for 60 yards in the first half alone.
Senior quarterback Bryce Petty has been inconsistent through the first half. Petty complete 9-of-20 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears are feeling the absence of backup running backs sophomore Devin Chafin and freshman Johnny Jefferson, as sophomore Shock Linwood has only 21 yards on 14 carries. As a team, Baylor is putting up 1.3 yards per carry.
Senior receiver Antwan Goodley has 84 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown catch. Sophomore Corey Coleman has added 35 yards, including a touchdown grab of his own.
Baylor scored its first touchdown after sophomore defensive tackle Andrew Billings forced a fumble on West Virginia quarterback Clint Trickett. Petty tossed a seven-yard pass to Coleman for a three-second scoring drive.
West Virginia struck back only two minutes later when the nation’s leading receiver, Kevin White, received a 36-yard touchdown pass from Trickett.
Freshman kicker Chris Callahan continued his hot streak and nailed two field goals to close the first half, but WVU running back Andrew Buie pushed the Mountaineers out to a 14-13 lead with a one-yard rushing score in the second quarter.
Goodley caught a pass near the sideline and went all the way to the other side of the field for a touchdown thanks to a massive block from Coleman.
West Virginia running back Dreamius Smith found a hole for a nine-yard touchdown run and kicker Josh Lambert added a 54-yard field goal to push West Virginia out to its lead.
Baylor will receive the ball to start the second half.
