College Football
Preview
West Virginia at Baylor
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 25, 2023
Where: McLane Stadium, Waco, Texas

West Virginia will look to improve its bowl status when it visits Baylor for a Big 12 Conference regular-season finale on Saturday in Waco, Texas.

The Mountaineers (7-4, 5-3 Big 12) are already guaranteed a spot in the postseason and look to accentuate what's been a mostly positive season.

West Virginia was picked to finish last in the Big 12 in the preseason poll but has won three of its past four games to guarantee a winning record for the first time since 2020.

The Mountaineers are coming off a 42-21 win at home last Saturday over Cincinnati in which they rushed for 424 yards. They got 204 yards and a touchdown from Jaheim White and 154 yards and three TDs on the ground from quarterback Garrett Greene. Greene also passed for 210 yards and a score in the victory.

"The game was won in the trenches," Greene said. "I thought our O-line played phenomenal; it's the best in America."

Baylor (3-8, 2-6) returns home after a 42-17 loss at TCU last Saturday. Blake Shapen passed for 197 yards and a touchdown and ran for a 2-yard score in the setback, the fourth straight for the Bears. The Bears were just 5-for-14 on third-down conversions, compared to a 9-for-11 success rate by the Horned Frogs.

The Bears will likely be without Shapen for their season finale after the quarterback suffered chest and head injuries late in the loss to TCU. Sophomore Sawyer Robertson is expected to make his fourth start of the season.

Baylor coach Dave Aranda said a win to cap the season would be an important step forward.

"For the team, it would be a relief," he said. "It would be validation for working hard. When anything negative happens, you fight the attachment to all the negative things of the past. We're fighting that fight right now, and to get a win would be a victory over that."

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W‑L Strk PF PA Home Away Grass Turf Conf
West Virginia 7-4 W1 31.4 27.2 5-1 2-3 2-2 0-1 5-3
Baylor 3-8 L4 22.4 33.3 1-6 2-2 2-7 0-0 2-6
Last Meeting
West Virginia Baylor
Date Away Home Tot Rus Pas Tot Rus Pas
10/13/22 BAY 40 WVU 43 500 217 283 590 169 421
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
West Virginia J. Daniels 64.9 283 1 1
Baylor B. Shapen 63.6 326 2 0
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
West Virginia T. Mathis Jr. 22 163 7.4 2
Baylor R. Reese 13 57 4.4 0
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
West Virginia K. Prather 8 109 13.6 1
Baylor G. Holmes 7 210 30.0 1
Touchdowns Player TD
West Virginia T. Mathis Jr. 2
Baylor G. Holmes 1
Season
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
West Virginia G. Greene 52.0 1909 13 4
Baylor B. Shapen 61.7 2188 13 3
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
West Virginia C. Donaldson 166 775 4.7 11
Baylor D. Richardson 115 494 4.3 0
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
West Virginia D. Carter 27 501 18.6 2
Baylor M. Baldwin 38 623 16.4 4
Touchdowns Player TD
West Virginia C. Donaldson 11
Baylor D. Pendergrass 7
Quickchart Matchup
West Virginia West Virginia Off vs  Baylor Baylor Def
West Virginia 430.8 yards
Baylor 412.5 yards
West Virginia 5.1 yards/rush
Baylor 4.9 yards/rush
West Virginia 7.7 yards/attempt
Baylor 8.5 yards/attempt
Baylor Baylor Off vs  West Virginia West Virginia Def
Baylor 381.8 yards
West Virginia 389 yards
Baylor 3.3 yards/rush
West Virginia 4.5 yards/rush
Baylor 7 yards/attempt
West Virginia 7.2 yards/attempt