As for Baylor’s running game, Ebner contributed 36 of the Bears’ 203 yards. The bulk of it came from senior John Lovett (78 yards) and redshirt freshman Craig Williams (61).
Senior quarterback Brewer added 23, including one scramble for 16 yards.
“He’s a chain mover,” West Virginia secondary coach Jahmile Addae said of Brewer. “He can move the ball with his feet. He obviously manages the offense really well; he’s shown the ability to make all of the throws so he’s multifaceted. That presents problems, and he also has some good targets to throw to.”
With former Southern Miss and North Carolina coach Larry Fedora now running Baylor’s offense, the Bears are using a lot of traditional formations with lots of tempo.
“They play really fast,” Brown said. “I think their O-line after one game looked much improved. Charlie Brewer is a winner, and they’ve got special talent at running back. They can really run on the outside, and I expect them to try and get those guys involved early in the game.”
Brewer, who leads the team with 31 career starts, is a familiar player to Mountaineer fans. In last year’s 17-14 Baylor win in Waco, he completed 20 of his 26 pass attempts for 277 yards for two touchdowns.
However, his last appearance in Morgantown two years ago in 2018 was a nightmare as he completed just 1-of-8 passes for 22 yards with three interceptions before getting knocked out of the game.
West Virginia ran away with a 58-14 victory that night.
A number of young Baylor offensive lineman were thrown into the fire during the game and a couple of them are still around. Senior right tackle Jake Burton will be making his 24th career start this Saturday, while senior center Xavier Newman-Johnson will be making career start No. 20.
Junior left tackle Connor Galvin is also very experienced with 16 career starts under his belt.
“Their O-line is better,” Brown said. “That’s the thing that stuck out to me watching (last year’s Baylor tape) and then watching their first game against Kansas.”
Brewer tried just 23 passes last Saturday, completing 15 for 142 yards, but he didn’t have to throw the ball down field once as Baylor built its commanding, third-quarter lead.
First-year coach Dave Aranda was content to lean on his defense, led by first-year coordinator Ron Roberts and his outstanding weakside linebacker Bernard.
The preseason All-American was as good as advertised last Saturday against the Jayhawks. He led the team with eight tackles, with 3 ½ of those coming behind the line of scrimmage. He was also credited with 2 ½ sacks, including one in the third quarter that resulted in a safety.
Bernard's career numbers show 167 tackles, eight sacks and 16 tackles for loss in 28 games. He had 10 tackles and a sack in last year’s win over West Virginia.
“He made about every play against us last year, and he really runs well,” Brown said.
“Of course, he pops on film,” West Virginia offensive coordinator Gerad Parker added. “He does everything you want a second-level player to do; that’s why, preseason, he was ranked where he is and that’s why he’s such a good player. One of the bigger compliments you can give any player is his motor, how hard he plays and how active he is, and he pops off the film as soon as you turn it on.”
When it’s not Bernard coming after the quarterback it is junior Jalen Pitre, who plays their Star position. Pitre was in on seven tackles with a pair of TFLs last Saturday and appears to be back to where he was as a freshman in 2017 when he produced 37 tackles and three tackles for loss.
Senior corner back Raleigh Texada is Baylor’s most experienced player on defense with 21 career starts, while the front three of T.J. Franklin, Josh Landry and Cole Maxwell made their first collegiate starts against Kansas.
Franklin was in on five tackles and had one of Baylor’s four sacks.
That will be a key area of attention for Brown’s offensive staff after allowing a strip-sack last week that resulted in a 56-yard Oklahoma State touchdown during the Cowboys’ 27-13 victory.
OSU got to West Virginia quarterback Jarret Doege five times and negative yardage plays significantly cut into the Mountaineers’ rushing total. WVU did generate 131 rushing yards before losses, 104 of those coming from junior running back Leddie Brown.
Neal Brown thought Leddie Brown ran hard and he also complimented the blocking of seniors Chase Behrndt and Michael Brown.
“There were some highs and there were some lows,” Brown said of West Virginia’s offensive line play. “I thought Mike Brown and Chase Behrndt played really well. We weren’t good enough at tackle, and we will look at some ways we can get better there.”
Brown also said Doege could have done some things in the pocket to help his pass protectors against Oklahoma State.
“Jarret didn’t move in the right direction some and missed some throws, but Jarret Doege showed his toughness,” Brown said. “He missed some balls, and we’ve got to get better there, but I think he showed his team that he’s plenty tough and his preparation will always give him a chance and he will be better this week.”
Doege completed 20-of-37 for 285 yards and one touchdown to sophomore slot receiver Winston Wright Jr., who caught four passes for 103 yards.
Wright’s 70-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter was a thing of beauty. Senior slot receiver T.J. Simmons was also on the receiving end of four Doege aerials for 82 yards including a long of 41.
