--Well, it's a story we're all familiar with at this stage of things. The Mountaineers sit at 36-34 through 70 games under head coach Neal Brown and like many others this one was right there for the taking and West Virginia simply couldn't take it. Any dreams of potentially winning out and finding a spot in the Big 12 title game is now gone and the harsh reality of just trying to find a win to go to a bowl game is now the primary focus for this team. This was a team that set out with goals of playing in Arlington and coming off a nine win season and they now have to win one of the final two games just to qualify for a bowl game. There's no way to spin it that just isn't going to get it done.
--The Mountaineers are 2-4 at home this season. That's just gross.
--West Virginia had beaten Baylor six straight times in Morgantown but that is now out the window. The Bears are playing well right now but much like other games this season you can't help but wonder what could have been as there were plenty of chances.
--The Mountaineers had 499 yards, 35 points, 29 first downs and still lost this game by double digits. The third consecutive home loss by double digits. The offense wasn't anywhere close to perfect in this game and left a lot of opportunities on the field but to roll up those type of numbers and still lose by 14 just isn't going to get it done. This team won a game with 9 first downs last week and this week 20 more led to a 14-point home loss.
--The defense really struggled in the first half allowing 35 points and 335 yards, but credit in the second as the group held Baylor to just 14 points and 177 yards some of that when the game was really already decided. The defense got three critical stops in the second half and the offense was never able to take advantage of it stalling out at the Baylor 38 with a punt, the Baylor 35 on downs and the Baylor 9 on downs. Now that doesn't excuse the first half for the defense, because Baylor had their way with them but they did adjust and played much better. That pass interference call toward the end of the game was a back breaker for the unit and it seemed things really fell apart after that.
--Third down wasn't kind to the defense as Baylor was 8-13 and neither was first down as the Bears averaged 7.4 yards per play. That's a tall task. Baylor utilized a lot of throws behind the line of scrimmage and screen type plays with a lot of success as the Mountaineers simply couldn't get off blocks to make tackles. The Bears turned a lot of short yardage plays into big gains. On those third downs, the difference was third and longs West Virginia got off the field both times but most of them were 1-4 yards and they were predictably 6-9 in those situations. The defense gave up 10 explosives.
--West Virginia only scored once in the second half and it was at the end of the game where the game was out of hand. They did move the ball, but simply couldn't make plays in critical situations.
--Mixed bag for senior quarterback Garrett Greene who completed 19-39 passes for 237 yards with 2 touchdowns and a pick while rushing for 129 yards and 2 more scores. His legs were a difference maker for the offense and really helped them pick up chunks of yards when things broke down, but he definitely missed some throws that were there. Thought Baylor did a better job limiting him running the ball in the second half and overall the offense wasn't able to consistently make enough plays.
--Felt West Virginia got away from the run in this one at times but Jahiem White had 67 yards and CJ Donaldson had 60 and a touchdown. Baylor did a pretty good job there, but the Mountaineers rushed for 262 yards when you include what Greene was able to do.
--Felt losing Traylon Ray to injury is a massive blow for this offense given his ability to stretch the field. There simply aren't a ton of pass catching options right now and that pool is even more limited without Ray. Hudson Clement did have 3 catches for 71 yards and Kole Taylor did his thing but this is something to watch moving forward. As soon as we sing the praises of Justin Robinson he goes out and drops that fourth down ball. That was a critical play in this game.
--Baylor had 4 sacks and 8 tackles for loss in this game and while it isn't the case it seemed like all of them mattered.
--Only three penalties for 27 yards, although some of those were key moments.
--West Virginia was 18-1 rushing for 200 yards under Brown, but now you can tack this one in the loss column.
--Kickoff coverage took a step back in this one after some really strong performances. Punting also wasn't up to par with Oliver Straw mishitting some balls. On the plus side, Preston Fox did have another 21-yard return and looked very good in that role again.
--West Virginia will now take on a 4-6 UCF team with both teams vying for bowl eligibility. That's exactly what we thought would be the case in the final home game of the year when the season started, right? Simply put this effort isn't going to cut it and it's just another lost opportunity at home against a quality team. The Mountaineers find ways to frustrate the fan base of late and this one won't help in that department at all.
![[thumbsup]](https://res-1.cloudinary.com/rivals/image/upload/tpajusiw2imufeahiuam.png "Thumbs up [thumbsup]")
