The West Virginia football team will see their inaugural Big 12 Conference game take place at home against the Baylor Bears Sept. 29.
Last season saw the Bears go 10-3 after a strong season with Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. Stars emerged at Baylor including running back Terrance Ganaway, who rushed for 1,547 yards and 21 touchdowns.
One of the biggest offensive threats was star wide receiver Kendall Wright. Now a Tennessee Titan, Wright had 108 receptions for 1,663 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Until the Mountaineers’ performance at the Orange Bowl, Baylor had the most points ever in a bowl game with 67 against Washington in the Alamo Bowl. It was its first bowl win in nearly 20 years.
Likely starting at quarterback for Baylor this season will be senior Nick Florence, who was the backup last season. He threw for two touchdowns and 151 yards. Florence will hope to lead a rebuilding year at Baylor following Griffin’s departure to the Washington Redskins.
Florence has the arm to follow a record-setting season at Baylor. He will have strong targets at wide receiver with Tevin Reese and Terrance Williams. Williams, a senior, had a strong season as a junior with 59 receptions for 957 yards and 11 touchdowns. Reese, a junior this upcoming season, had 51 receptions for 877 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore.
With two potential 1,000-yard receivers, the offense will likely put up a lot of points with Florence in command.
What the Mountaineers can focus on is getting points against a inconsistent Bears defense. Baylor allowed 56 points in a win against Washington in the Alamo Bowl.
Baylor won’t be able to have the
high-octane offense of last season with Griffin in control of the offense. It will need to win games on the defensive side as well.
With struggling defenses of Big 12 teams such as Baylor, the Mountaineers can have the opportunity to score a lot of points with senior Geno Smith’s poise as quarterback.
Head coach Art Briles has been with Baylor since 2008 after a tenure at Houston. These past two seasons saw Briles take the Bears to the next step, going 7-6 and 10-3 respectively. He has definitely brought a new culture of winning to Waco, Texas. Briles has also brought in a top 25 recruiting class to Baylor following such a year.
The defense will be the main focus for the Bears this season. While they will give up plays, guys like safety Mike Hicks will have to prevent them from being heartbreakers for Baylor fans. Hicks is returning after 100 tackles last season. Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett will be in his second season at Baylor.
The 2011 season was quite a ride for Baylor and its fans. With a 10-win season, a Heisman Trophy winner and a 67-point performance in a bowl game, hopes are high in 2012 for the Bears.
"All those things are really great accomplishments of our football team," Briles said, following the season. "I’m proud of how players played throughout the season. We’re always a resilient football team. Our guys are tough. They play tough and they perform tough. And it showed up on the scoreboards at the end of games."
This is a game in which Baylor will be flying under the radar, so to speak. If WVU doesn’t find a way to win this one, the doubts of how West Virginia handles the transition to a new conference will be heard and seen.
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