September 29, 2012 Week 5 · Regular Season Belt defended

West Virginia defends the belt, 70–63, at home over Baylor.

Home · Defending Holder

West Virginia 70

Away · Challenger

Baylor 63

AI-Written

Recap

In a high-scoring affair in Morgantown, West Virginia held off a furious Baylor comeback to retain the College Football Belt with a 70-63 victory. The first quarter was a shootout, with both teams trading touchdowns, including a Geno Smith to J.D. Woods scoring strike with just 42 seconds remaining in the opening quarter that gave the Mountaineers a 21-20 lead. Baylor answered in the second quarter with back-to-back touchdown drives, taking a 35-28 lead on a Tevin Reese 65-yard scoring reception, but West Virginia responded with Smith's 47-yard touchdown pass to Stedman Bailey to retake control. West Virginia's dominant third-down conversion rate (12-15) and superior time of possession (33:55 to 25:04) proved decisive in wearing down the Bears despite Baylor's 700 yards of offense.

Geno Smith to J.D. Woods 7-yard TD with 0:42 left in Q1 -- gave WVU a 21-20 lead after a wild first quarter of scoring
Tevin Reese 65-yard TD reception with 6:21 left in Q2 -- gave Baylor a 35-28 lead but proved to be Baylor's last score of the half
Geno Smith to Stedman Bailey 47-yard TD with 6:55 left in Q2 -- responded to Baylor's momentum and helped WVU regain control of the game
West Virginia's 12-15 third-down conversions vs Baylor's 11-16 -- superior efficiency in critical situations and time management secured belt retention

Written by Claude from the box score and play-by-play on this page — a plain-English recap of the numbers below, not a substitute for them.

Full Box Score

Team stats

CFBD box score

West VirginiaBaylor

Total yards807700

Rushing yards151119

Passing yards656581

First downs3334

3rd down conv.12/1511/16

Turnovers01

Penalties–yards6–786–56

Time of possession33:5525:04

Full team box score from CFBD’s /games/teams data. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have team-level stats that far back.

Play By Play

Key plays

CFBD play-by-play

When	Team	Yards	Play
Q1 15:00	West Virginia	+27 yd	Tyler Bitancurt kickoff for 60 yards returned by Demetri Goodson for 27 yards to the Bayl 32.
Q2 14:11	Baylor	+27 yd	Nick Florence pass complete to Lanear Sampson for 27 yards to the WVirg 39 for a 1ST down.
Q2 11:49	Baylor	+33 yd	Aaron Jones 33 yard field goal MISSED.
Q2 6:55	West Virginia	+47 yd	Geno Smith pass complete to Stedman Bailey for 47 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q2 6:55	West Virginia	+0 yd	Tyler Bitancurt extra point GOOD.
Q1 14:31	Baylor	+0 yd	Nick Florence pass intercepted by Darwin Cook at the WVirg 42, returned for no gain to the WVirg 42.
Q1 10:44	West Virginia	+50 yd	Tyler Bitancurt 50 yard field goal MISSED.
Q1 10:44	West Virginia	+50 yd	Field Goal Missed
Q1 9:12	Baylor	+1 yd	Jarred Salubi rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q1 9:12	Baylor	+0 yd	Aaron Jones extra point GOOD.
Q1 5:32	West Virginia	+1 yd	Andrew Buie rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q1 5:32	West Virginia	+0 yd	Tyler Bitancurt extra point GOOD.
Q1 5:32	West Virginia	+22 yd	Tyler Bitancurt kickoff for 56 yards returned by Demetri Goodson for 22 yards to the Bayl 46, WEST VIRGINIA penalty 15 yard Personal Foul on Troy Gloster accepted for a 1ST down.
Q1 2:39	Baylor	+7 yd	Glasco Martin rush for 7 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q1 2:39	Baylor	+0 yd	Aaron Jones extra point GOOD.
Q1 2:39	Baylor	+31 yd	Aaron Jones kickoff for 61 yards returned by Tavon Austin for 31 yards to the WVirg 40.
Q1 0:42	West Virginia	+7 yd	Geno Smith pass complete to J.D. Woods for 7 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q1 0:42	West Virginia	+0 yd	Tyler Bitancurt extra point GOOD.
Q2 10:03	West Virginia	+45 yd	Corey Smith punt for 45 yards, returned by Levi Norwood for 45 yards to the WVirg 23.
Q2 9:00	Baylor	+1 yd	Glasco Martin rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q2 9:09	Baylor	+20 yd	Nick Florence pass complete to Terrance Williams for 20 yards to the WVirg 1 for a 1ST down.
Q2 9:00	Baylor	+0 yd	Aaron Jones extra point GOOD.
Q2 6:21	Baylor	+65 yd	Nick Florence pass complete to Tevin Reese for 65 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q2 6:21	Baylor	+0 yd	Aaron Jones extra point GOOD.
Q2 6:21	Baylor	+41 yd	Aaron Jones kickoff for 65 yards returned by Tavon Austin for 41 yards to the WVirg 41.
Q2 4:54	West Virginia	+20 yd	Geno Smith pass complete to Stedman Bailey for 20 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q2 4:54	West Virginia	+0 yd	Tyler Bitancurt extra point GOOD.
Q2 4:54	West Virginia	+28 yd	Tyler Bitancurt kickoff for 64 yards returned by Antwan Goodley for 28 yards to the Bayl 29.
Q2 0:29	West Virginia	+2 yd	Geno Smith pass complete to Stedman Bailey for 2 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q2 1:51	West Virginia	+45 yd	Geno Smith pass complete to Tavon Austin for 45 yards to the Bayl 38 for a 1ST down.
Q2 0:29	West Virginia	+21 yd	Tyler Bitancurt kickoff for 51 yards returned by Darryl Stonum for 21 yards to the Bayl 35.
Q2 0:29	West Virginia	+0 yd	Tyler Bitancurt extra point GOOD.
Q2 0:00	Baylor	+67 yd	Nick Florence pass complete to Lanear Sampson for 67 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q2 0:00	Baylor	+0 yd	Aaron Jones extra point GOOD.
Q3 12:31	West Virginia	+45 yd	Geno Smith pass complete to Tavon Austin for 45 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q3 12:31	West Virginia	+0 yd	Tyler Bitancurt extra point GOOD.
Q3 10:20	West Virginia	+22 yd	Geno Smith pass complete to Stedman Bailey for 22 yards to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down.
Q3 9:13	West Virginia	+52 yd	Geno Smith pass complete to Tavon Austin for 52 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q3 9:13	West Virginia	+0 yd	Tyler Bitancurt extra point GOOD.
Q3 8:32	Baylor	+39 yd	Nick Florence pass complete to Tevin Reese for 39 yards to the WVirg 32 for a 1ST down.
Q3 7:56	Baylor	+46 yd	Aaron Jones 46 yard field goal MISSED.
Q3 5:16	West Virginia	+0 yd	Tyler Bitancurt extra point GOOD.
Q3 6:21	West Virginia	+47 yd	Geno Smith pass complete to Stedman Bailey for 47 yards to the Bayl 4 for a 1ST down.
Q3 5:16	West Virginia	+1 yd	Andrew Buie rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q3 3:18	Baylor	+37 yd	Nick Florence pass complete to Terrance Williams for 37 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q3 3:18	Baylor	+0 yd	Aaron Jones extra point GOOD.
Q4 14:14	Baylor	+1 yd	Nick Florence rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q4 14:14	Baylor	+0 yd	Aaron Jones extra point GOOD.
Q4 13:55	West Virginia	+87 yd	Geno Smith pass complete to Stedman Bailey for 87 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q4 13:55	West Virginia	+0 yd	Tyler Bitancurt extra point GOOD.
Q4 13:55	West Virginia	+23 yd	Tyler Bitancurt kickoff for 64 yards returned by Antwan Goodley for 23 yards to the Bayl 14, BAYLOR penalty 10 yard Holding accepted.
Q4 12:05	Baylor	+44 yd	Nick Florence pass complete to Terrance Williams for 44 yards to the WVirg 10 for a 1ST down.
Q4 10:49	Baylor	+7 yd	Nick Florence pass complete to Antwan Goodley for 7 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q4 10:49	Baylor	+0 yd	Aaron Jones extra point GOOD.
Q4 5:55	West Virginia	+0 yd	Tyler Bitancurt extra point GOOD.
Q4 5:55	West Virginia	+39 yd	Geno Smith pass complete to Stedman Bailey for 39 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q4 3:44	Baylor	+44 yd	Nick Florence pass complete to Terrance Williams for 44 yards to the WVirg 8 for a 1ST down.
Q4 3:08	Baylor	+8 yd	Nick Florence pass complete to Terrance Williams for 8 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Q4 3:08	Baylor	+0 yd	Aaron Jones extra point GOOD.

Scoring plays, turnovers, and gains of 20+ yards, pulled from CFBD’s play-by-play. This section only appears for belt games with play-by-play on file (2003 onward).

Box Score

Player stats

CFBD player stats

Passing

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	QBR
Geno SmithWest Virginia	45/51	656	12.9	8	0	98.6
Nick FlorenceBaylor	29/47	581	12.4	5	1	93.4

Rushing

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Andrew BuieWest Virginia	25	82	3.3	2	16
Geno SmithWest Virginia	5	31	6.2	0	14
Dustin GarrisonWest Virginia	3	28	9.3	0	17
J.D. WoodsWest Virginia	1	16	16.0	0	16
Jordan ThompsonWest Virginia	1	-2	-2.0	0	0
Jarred SalubiBaylor	20	75	3.8	1	12
Glasco MartinBaylor	13	39	3.0	2	8
Lache SeastrunkBaylor	5	11	2.2	0	7
Nick FlorenceBaylor	7	-6	-0.9	1	7

Receiving

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Stedman BaileyWest Virginia	13	303	23.3	5	87
Tavon AustinWest Virginia	14	215	15.4	2	52
J.D. WoodsWest Virginia	13	114	8.8	1	16
Jordan ThompsonWest Virginia	2	18	9.0	0	14
Dustin GarrisonWest Virginia	2	7	3.5	0	5
Andrew BuieWest Virginia	1	-1	-1.0	0	0
Terrance WilliamsBaylor	17	314	18.5	2	50
Tevin ReeseBaylor	4	120	30.0	1	65
Lanear SampsonBaylor	4	109	27.3	1	67
Levi NorwoodBaylor	2	21	10.5	0	11
Darryl StonumBaylor	1	10	10.0	0	10
Antwan GoodleyBaylor	1	7	7.0	1	7

Show more stats (5 more categories)

Interceptions

Player	INT	YDS	TD
Darwin CookWest Virginia	1	0	0

Kick Returns

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG
Tavon AustinWest Virginia	2	72	36.0	41
Jordan ThompsonWest Virginia	1	12	12.0	12
Antwan GoodleyBaylor	3	70	23.3	28
Demetri GoodsonBaylor	2	49	24.5	27
Darryl StonumBaylor	3	47	15.7	21

Kicking

Player	PTS	FG	PCT	LONG	XP
Tyler BitancurtWest Virginia	10	0/1	0.0	0	10/10
Aaron JonesBaylor	9	0/2	0.0	0	9/9

Punt Returns

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Tavon AustinWest Virginia	1	-1	-1.0	0	0
Levi NorwoodBaylor	1	45	45.0	45	0

Punting

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG
Corey SmithWest Virginia	1	45	45.0	45
Michael MolinariWest Virginia	1	31	31.0	31
Spencer RothBaylor	2	92	46.0	54

Full player stats from CFBD’s /games/players data. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have player-level stats that far back.

← Maryland at West Virginia West Virginia at Texas →