WVU Escapes Disaster, Beats Baylor for 8th Win Thanks to Late Touchdown

WVU knew an opponent with nothing left to play for could be dangerous, and that eventually told the story of the game.

After a sluggish opening possession, West Virginia then benefited from big plays on their first scoring drive. A burst by Jahiem White went 53 yards and set up a pass that was caught in the end zone by Traylon Ray. The two freshman set up the Mountaineers for the score. Ray’s touchdown catch was for 30 yards.

As the first quarter closed with WVU up 7-0, the second quarter came to life. Those who may have thought the game was over after Greene used his legs to run in the second touchdown were in for a surprise.

And for as much as Baylor’s defense could not stop the Mountaineers, especially on the ground, West Virginia had no hope of containing Richard Reese returning kickoffs. Reese ran, not one, but two kickoff back to shock WVU fans and keep the home team in the game early.

The kickoff returns made the score 17-14 in the middle of the second quarter. Baylor trailed by just three points despite having only 28 yards of offense at the time.

Strictly running kickoffs back wouldn’t be close to enough for Baylor though. Greene and company continued to be too much for the Bears to handle. This included putting another touchdown on the scoreboard thanks to a two-minute scoring drive that followed a Baylor missed field goal. West Virginia led 27-14 at halftime.

Baylor’s offense would finally join their return team and add points of their own. Sayer Robertson, getting the start for the injured Blake Sharpen threw a rope for 38 yards to Ketron Jackson Jr. to make it a one-score game again.

Baylor would use a fourth-down conversion to get back in the end zone and do the unthinkable based on how this game had unfolded – take the lead. The pressure then swung to Greene and the offense to get going again, and fast. A catch that knocked  Preston Fox out of the game would end up not mattering as WVU failed to respond.

With a 31-27 lead, Baylor put together another drive and continued to break through the defense with ease. And this was compounded with West Virginia’s offensive issues.

It was then up to Greene to save the day. And he did. Hudson Clement churned yards and White caught what became the game winning touchdown catch.

The game wasn’t pretty, but at least the outcome was for Neal Brown and Mountaineer Nation. Some luck was even needed thanks to a Baylor missed field goal, but the Mountaineers managed to avoid heartbreak in Waco.

West Virginia finished off the 2023 regular season with their eighth win. And on this night, WVU was the luckiest team in America.