MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - No. 9 West Virginia and the Big 12, perfect together.
Geno Smith and the fast-moving, high-scoring Mountaineers proved they fit right in with their new conference, outracing No. 25 Baylor 70-63 on Saturday in the Big 12's highest-scoring game ever.
Smith tied a conference mark with eight touchdown passes and narrowly missed another one with 656 yards passing.
Article Photos
Photo by?John Wickline
West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin, center, looks for running room after weaving away from several Baylor defenders during Saturday's homecoming football game in Morgantown. The Mountaineers won, 70-63.
"It did feel like one of those classic Texas shootouts," said Smith, whose school moved over from the Big East this season. "That's kind of what the Big 12 is about."
Smith outdueled Baylor's Nick Florence, who broke Heisman Trophy-winning predecessor Robert Griffin III's school record with 581 yards. Florence threw for five TDs.
School, conference and FBS marks all got rewritten in this one.
Fact Box
No. 9 WEST VIRGINIA 70,
No. 25 BAYLOR 63
Baylor1421721-63
West Virginia14212114-70
First Quarter
Bay-Salubi 1 run (A.Jones kick), 9:12.
WVU-Buie 1 run (Bitancurt kick), 5:32.
Bay-Martin 7 run (A.Jones kick), 2:39.
WVU-Woods 7 pass from G.Smith (Bitancurt kick), :42.
Second Quarter
Bay-Martin 1 run (A.Jones kick), 9:00.
WVU-Bailey 47 pass from G.Smith (Bitancurt kick), 6:55.
Bay-T.Reese 65 pass from Florence (A.Jones kick), 6:21.
WVU-Bailey 20 pass from G.Smith (Bitancurt kick), 4:54.
WVU-Bailey 2 pass from G.Smith (Bitancurt kick), :29.
Bay-Sampson 67 pass from Florence (A.Jones kick), :00.
Third Quarter
WVU-Austin 45 pass from G.Smith (Bitancurt kick), 12:31.
WVU-Austin 52 pass from G.Smith (Bitancurt kick), 9:13.
WVU-Buie 1 run (Bitancurt kick), 5:16.
Bay-T.Williams 37 pass from Florence (A.Jones kick), 3:18.
Fourth Quarter
Bay-Florence 1 run (A.Jones kick), 14:14.
WVU-Bailey 87 pass from G.Smith (Bitancurt kick), 13:55.
Bay-Goodley 7 pass from Florence (A.Jones kick), 10:49.
WVU-Bailey 39 pass from G.Smith (Bitancurt kick), 5:55.
Bay-T.Williams 8 pass from Florence (A.Jones kick), 3:08.
A-60,012.
---
BayWVU
First downs3433
Rushes-yards45-11937-151
Passing581656
Comp-Att-Int29-47-145-51-0
Return Yards45(-1)
Punts-Avg.2-46.02-38.0
Fumbles-Lost1-00-0
Penalties-Yards6-566-78
Time of Possession25:4034:20
---
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-Baylor, Salubi 20-75, Martin 13-39, Seastrunk 5-11,
Florence 7-(minus 6). West Virginia, Buie 25-82, G.Smith 5-31,
Garrison 3-28, Woods 1-16, Thompson 1-(minus 2), Team 2-(minus 4).
PASSING-Baylor, Florence 29-47-1-581. West Virginia,
G.Smith 45-51-0-656.
RECEIVING-Baylor, T.Williams 17-314, T.Reese 4-120, Sampson 4-109,
Norwood 2-21, Stonum 1-10, Goodley 1-7. West Virginia, Austin 14-215,
Bailey 13-303, Woods 13-114, Thompson 2-18, Garrison 2-7,
Buie 1-(minus 1).
Records Set or Tied In Game
By The Associated Press
Some of the records set or tied in No. 9 West Virginia's 70-63 win over No. 25 Baylor on Saturday:
RECORDS SET:
BIG 12
* Most points, both teams (133).
SCHOOL RECORDS
West Virginia
QB Geno Smith:
* Single-game passing yards (656), completions (45), touchdowns (8) and consecutive completions (14).
WR Stedman Bailey:
* Single-game receiving yards (303).
* Career receiving TDs (26).
WR Tavon Austin:
* Single-game receptions (14).
* Career receiving yards (2,684).
PK Tyler Bitancurt:
* Single-game extra-point kicks made and attempts (10).
Baylor
Team:
* 3 100-yard receivers (Terrance Williams, 314; Tevin Reese, 120, Lanear Sampson, 109).
QB Tyler Florence:
* Single-game passing yards (581).
WR Terrance Williams:
* Single-game receptions (17) and receiving yards (314).
RECORDS TIED:
FBS
* Most touchdown passes, both teams (13).
* Combined touchdowns, both teams (19).
* Most points scored by a losing team (Baylor, 63).
BIG 12
* Touchdown passes (West Virginia's Geno Smith, 8).
SCHOOL
West Virginia
* Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, most 100-yard receiving games (10).
Baylor
- PK Aaron Jones, most extra points made (9).
The game also set a new record for the most points scored in a game involving a team ranked in The Associated Press poll. The previous mark of 124 was set in No. 12 Oklahoma's 82-42 win over Colorado in 1980.
How wild was it? Smith, the early Heisman front-runner, had more TD passes than incompletions (six). He finished 45 of 51 and still doesn't have an interception this season.
"Can you please tell me how you can improve on that?" West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said.
Maybe not on offense, but both defenses have plenty of work to do.
West Virginia amassed a school-record 807 yards and the teams combined for 1,507 yards of offense and 67 first downs. Six receivers had at least 100 yards receiving.
The Bears' Terrance Williams set a Big 12 record with 314 yards receiving. The old mark was set minutes earlier by West Virginia's Stedman Bailey, who had 303 yards and a school-record five TDs.
Williams' 8-yard scoring catch brought Baylor (3-1) within 70-63 with 3:08 left.
But Dustin Garrison ran for 17 yards on third down and the Mountaineers ran out the clock to snap Baylor's nine-game winning streak, the second-longest in the nation.
"We expect to score that many points a game," Florence said. "But the goal is to score more than our opponent and we came up a little short today."
The combined 19 touchdowns tied an FBS mark, last reached when Navy beat North Texas 74-62 in 2007. That matchup set the FBS record for most points in a regulation game at 136.
Baylor, meanwhile, tied an FBS mark for the most points scored by a losing team.
Among the other records, Smith set school single-game marks for completions, yards and touchdown passes.
Bailey and Tavon Austin became the first FBS teammates with 200 yards receiving since 2007.
Going back to the Orange Bowl, West Virginia has scored 10 touchdowns three times in its last five games.
"Statistically, it's my best game ever," Smith said. "But I think it's more about the team, and I think it just lets us know that we're going to have to battle it out every week against some really tough teams in the Big 12.
"I could care less about a Heisman Trophy. The big thing for us what that we won the game today. We're on a mission, and we want to win them all."
West Virginia went ahead for good early in the third quarter, but Baylor almost always had an answer.
Austin made long touchdown grabs three minutes apart while Baylor punted and missed a long field goal. Smith stayed in a groove, throwing three passes of 45 yards or more in the third quarter alone. His 47-yarder to Bailey set up Andrew Buie's second short TD run for a 56-35 lead.
The way this game was going, though, no cushion was safe.
Williams caught a 37-yard scoring pass from Florence and, after Baylor's defense forced a rare punt, Florence's sneak brought the Bears within 56-49, and there was still 14:14 left.
But Bailey scored on TD grabs of 87 and 39 yards after that.
