By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
Baylor football head coach Dave Aranda is one win away from bouncing back from a 3-9 season in 2023 and securing bowl eligibility in 2024. The Bears (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) are on a three-game winning streak and will look to win their first game on the road against West Virginia in program history at 3 p.m. Saturday at Milan-Puskar Stadium in Morgantown.
Coming off their second bye week of the season, Aranda said being able to buckle down, correct the details and take a moment to get healthy was productive for a team that is having success.
“There’s always a strain when you’re under the gun. So, I think having a chance to breathe is probably good,” Aranda said. “Throughout these last couple weeks, with the wins, have been just business-like [and] focused. I felt that today too, coming back [from the bye].”
In some cases, Aranda mentioned that bye weeks could stunt growth and remove the focus that helped the team find success in the first place. However, with the “business” attitude, senior offensive lineman Campbell Barrington said the added bye week was exactly what the team needed to stay locked in.
“Honestly, I liked it way more than last season. I think it’s a great time to get healthy and it just worked out good,” Barrington said. “We’ve got three games left. Do whatever you’ve got to do to maintain your body for the last three games and see where it goes from there.”
Winless in Morgantown, the Bears will look to break the spell, which would put the team on its longest winning streak since 2021, when the green and gold won their last five games of the season including the Big 12 Championship and Sugar Bowl. Baylor holds a 4-8 record all-time against West Virginia in addition to holding an 0-6 record at Milan-Puskar Stadium. Of the six losses in Morgantown, four were decided by one possession.
The green and gold dropped their last two meetings against the Mountaineers, with a 34-31 loss at McLane Stadium on Nov. 25, 2023, and a 43-40 loss as the visitors on Oct. 13, 2022. After a convincing 59-35 road win over Texas Tech on Oct. 19, Aranda and players said there is a different level of confidence when traveling into hostile territory.
“It’s going to be a great environment. There’s going to be people chewing us out and doing whatever. We like that type of stuff,” Barrington said. “It fires dudes up, especially on the offensive line. It’s something that we’re harping on and focused on. So we’ve got to get one for the Bears.”
Heading into the road test, Aranda and redshirt senior defensive end Treven Ma’ae said the defense’s focus during the bye week was to be “consistent” and improve tacking and coverage.
“I think we have to play the pass better,” Aranda said. “We’ve got to communicate and execute those zone responsibilities better. Throw game-wise, we have to improve playing the ball when it’s in the air. That’s been something that has not improved since the beginning of the year.”
West Virginia head coach Neal Brown is still deciding who will start under center for the Mountaineers (5-4, 4-2 Big 12) as starting senior quarterback Garrett Greene hasn’t played since Oct. 19 due to a head injury. In his place, redshirt sophomore Nicco Marchiol has started the last two games as a patient pocket passer. Greene resumed practicing last week, but his status remains unknown, so Aranda said the Bears are “preparing for both.”
No matter who captains the Mountaineer offense, the defense is ready for a hard-nosed battle.
“We know it’s going to be a four-quarter dogfight,” Ma’ae said. “Their O-line is physical and disciplined. We’ve just got to be on point. It’s going to be an amazing game.”
West Virginia has won its last two games against Arizona and Cincinnati, both of which came on the road. The team has featured a patient attack in both the pass and run, averaging 27.7 points per game in conference play on 188.7 rushing yards (fifth in the Big 12) and 194.5 passing yards per game (15th in the Big 12).
“You could tell they’re striving and fighting for something. We’ve got to get in the way of all that, and at their place, in a tough spot to play. [We’re] excited for the opportunity,” Aranda said. “The last couple times, West Virginia has been in really close, tight games. They are, in a lot of ways, similar to us, in that they are a gritty team, they’re a physical team, and they’ve got players that love ball.”
On Monday, Aranda said redshirt junior quarterback Sawyer Robertson, who left McLane Stadium after Baylor’s 37-34 win over TCU in a boot, is practicing again and feeling “100%” after recovering during the bye week. Moving into the home stretch of the season, Robertson sits sixth in the nation in quarterback ratingn, according to ESPN.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday at Milan-Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. It will be Baylor’s eighth nationally broadcast game of the season.
