With over 70,000 fans in attendance in a packed out Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Mountaineers took down 4th ranked Baylor 41-27. 

There a few numbers that stuck out in review of the game on Saturday. Baylor, who averaged 51 points per game coming into Saturday’s showdown, was held to a season low 27. WVU certainly isn’t known for their defense, but they came to play on Saturday. 

Undoubtedly, the stars came out to play for WVU. Clint Trickett continued his streak of 300+ yards passing, and Kevin White reaffirmed the notion that he is the top receiver in the nation. White surpassed 1,000 yards, becoming the first receiver to reach that mark this season (I’m looking at you Amari Cooper). Mario Alford showcased his blazing speed, sealing the victory with a Touchdown up the gut of the exposed Baylor defense. Look for both Trickett, and White to climb up the Heisman rankings in the near future. 

Morgantown was recently ranked one of the toughest places to play for visiting teams, behind traditional powerhouses such as LSU and Alabama, among others. The fans were thunderous throughout the game and seemed to lift the team through rough patches. Even after Daryl Worley muffed a punt, injured himself, and lost possession to Baylor, the fans remained engaged and our defense eventually held the high-octane Baylor offense to just a field goal. Momentum is crucial in collegiate sports, and our fans certainly kept this aspect in our favor. 

WVU, after a 2-year absence, has crept back into the top 25. 8 weeks into the season and a WVU team that was predicted to finish 2nd to  last in the Big 12 is currently in 2nd behind #11 Kansas State. With NFL talent galore on the offensive side of the ball, I can’t say I’m surprised. The experts should have seen us coming. 

Those same K-State Wildcats travel to Morgantown on November 20th, for what should be an incredible Thursday night game. The Mountaineers travel to Oklahoma State next weekend (previously ranked in the top 25), Texas in 3 weeks, and Iowa State in 5 weeks. They also will welcome #10 TCU on November 1st. 

The schedule does not let up for the Mountaineers, but with the way the team has performed this season, anything is possible. The Big 12 title is in sight entering the stretch run, and Mountaineer fans everywhere are excited.