MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Dave Aranda became the fourth Baylor coach to enter Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday with the Bears, looking to become the first to board the flight back to Waco with a win in hand.
Baylor and West Virginia ended regulation tied at 14.
The game started ominously for the Bears, offensively, not scoring until the BU defense got its third takeaway in the first half.
West Virginia took the opening kickoff, marching down the field in 15 plays to score on the game's opening drive when WVU QB Jarret Doege kept the ball on an option play to make it 7-0.
The next four Moutaineer drives results in a lost fumble, punt, interception and interception. But, Baylor didn't score until 6:44 remained in the second quarter, a 7-yard pass from BU QB Charlie Brewer to R.J. Snead to capitalize on Doege's second INT of the game.
The Baylor kicking game struggled in the first half. The offense wasn't able to get John Mayers or Noah Rauschenberg in favorable field goal range, as the duo combined to miss all three first-half attempts from 46 and 47 yards, respectively, with Rauschenberg's 51-yard attempt blocked on the final play of the second quarter.
In the third, the Bears and Moutaineers exchanged five punts before WVU scored after replay overturned a call on the field of Leddie Brown being down at the half-yard-line, giving WVU the lead, once again.
Late in the fourth, Baylor caught several breaks on one drive. After a 3-and-out, WVU saw two of its players collide and muff the punt, setting the Bears up at the Mountaineer 27.
Then, on a pass to the endzone, what originally looked like an interception as Brewer overthrew Gavin Holmes was overturned by replay as Dreshun Miller stepped out of bounds before he established a foot on the field.
Then, John Lovett was ruled short of the goal line before replay came down to review on 4th & goal. While it looked as if Lovett got in, the ruling on the field stood as called, giving the ball back to WVU at the half-yard-line with 4:06 to play.
After another Mountaineer punt, Brewer connected with Josh Fleeks for 34 yards to tie the game with 1:19 to play and force overtime.
West Virginia coverted on 4th & inches before Doege opened the OT scoring with a lob to Bryce Ford-Wheaton to make it 21-14.
Brewer then, on the first play in the Baylor possession, connected with TE Ben Sims to score and force a second OT.
However, Brewer threw an interception in the Bears' possession in the second OT and WVU answered with Leddie Brown scoring to win it on a 3-yard rush.
Baylor is now 1-1 heading in to its open week. The Mountaineers are 2-1 overall, 1-1 in Big 12 play, and are off next week.
