Countdown to Kickoff is presented by SMART529.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia and Baylor will be meeting for the ninth time when the two hook up on Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia.
 
Baylor's four prior trips to Morgantown have resulted in losses, 70-63 in 2012, 41-27 in 2014, 24-21 in 2016 and 58-14 in 2018.
 
In the most recent visit, Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer had a tough night, completing just 1-of-8 passes with three interceptions, before getting knocked out of the game.
 
He is currently third in all-time passing in Baylor history with 7,884 career yards, trailing just Bryce Petty and 2011 Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.
 
Other key Bear players on the field in Morgantown in 2018 include Trestan Ebner, whose 272 all-purpose yards last week against Kansas included a pair of kickoff returns for touchdowns, leading rusher John Lovett and top offensive lineman Connor Galvin.
 
West Virginia, meanwhile, is coming off a 27-13 loss at 17^th-ranked Oklahoma State last Saturday. The Mountaineers' youth and inexperience showed up at times as they were penalized 12 times for 106 yards and a handful of missed defensive assignments, one contributing to L.D. Brown's 66-yard second-quarter touchdown run.
 
The other big play was Trace Ford's strip sack of Jarret Doege that resulted in Tyren Irby's 56-yard, scoop-and-score.
 
Doege passed for 285 yards and a 70-yard touchdown to sophomore slot receiver Winston Wright Jr., who finished the afternoon with four catches for a team-best 103 yards.
 
Senior T.J. Simmons had one of his better Mountaineer games since transferring from Alabama with four grabs for 82 yards, while junior running back Leddie Brown ran 26 times for 104 yards, most of that coming after contact.
 
Brown, who had 123 yards in WVU's season opening win over Eastern Kentucky, is coming off consecutive 100-yard rushing games for the first time in his Mountaineer career.
 
"I am looking forward to getting back home this (Saturday) against Baylor," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said. "I have a lot of respect for (Baylor) in what coach (Matt) Rhule did turning that around and now what coach (Dave) Aranda has continued to do.
 
"It's a team that jumps out at you on film because they play with a toughness, they play with an edge and they play extremely hard," Brown added. "I thought they had a really good outing in their first game."

The Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College radio coverage begins at 8:30 a.m. with the Go-Mart Mountaineer Tailgate Show leading into regular network coverage with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning at 11 a.m. on stations throughout West Virginia and online via WVUsports.com.
 
The game will be televised nationally on ABC.

Here is today's Countdown to Kickoff, presented by Smart 529:
 
10 – The Mountaineers have recorded at least TEN first downs through the air in 19 of their last 25 games.
 
9 – Today's game will be West Virginia's NINTH Big 12 home opener since joining the conference in 2012. The Mountaineers are 5-3 in Big 12 home openers.
 
8 – Running back Leddie Brown ranks EIGHTH nationally in rushing averaging 113.5 yards per game.
 
7 – West Virginia's offense has already generated SEVEN explosive plays from scrimmage covering 28 yards or longer. Winston Wright Jr.'s 70-yard touchdown reception from Jarret Doege last week at Oklahoma State is WVU's longest play from scrimmage so far this season.
 
6 – Since 2000, West Virginia has lost only SIX times when scoring at least 40 points in a game. In week one, the Mountaineers won their 65^th game when hitting at least the 40-point mark with a 56-10 win over Eastern Kentucky.
 
5 – West Virginia boasts 18 FIFTH-year seniors on the 2020 roster: Alonzo Addae, Chase Behrndt, Charlie Benton, Dante Bonamico, Michael Brown, Zach Davis, Lorenzo Dorr, Osman Kamara, Austin Kendall, Jake Long, Sean Mahone, Kyle Poland, Jeffrey Pooler Jr., T.J. Simmons, Evan Staley, Tyler Sumpter, Dylan Tonkery and Scottie Young.
 
4 – The Mountaineer offense has just FOUR returning players with more than 10 career starts – WR T.J. Simmons (15), C Chase Behrndt (14), WR Sam James (13) and LG James Gmiter (12).
 
3 – THREE wide receivers produced at least four receptions against Oklahoma State (Sam James, Winston Wright Jr. and T.J. Simmons), marking the fourth time in the last five games that has happened.
 
2 – TWO assistant coaches are in charge of the Mountaineer defense this year – cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae is responsible for the secondary calls while defensive line coach Jordan Lesley will handle the defensive front calls.
 
1 – West Virginia currently ranks FIRST in the Big 12 in pass defense allowing an average of just 135 yards in its first two games.
 
Enjoy the game and be sure to stop back afterward for complete postgame coverage.