GAME 8
BAYLOR vs. WEST VIRGINIA
Oct. 31 | 7 p.m. CT | McLane Stadium | Waco, Texas
TV: ESPN
Game Notes: Baylor | West Virginia | Big 12

STORY LINES
• Baylor returns to McLane Stadium for a Halloween night nationally-televised matchup with West Virginia. With the win over OSU, the Bears have equaled their 2018 win total with five regular season games remaining.
• The Bears are one of nine remaining undefeated teams in FBS and one of only seven among Power 5 programs.
• BU is only the third FBS program since 1937 to start 7-0 within two seasons of going 0-7 to begin a campaign. UCF also accomplished the feat in 2015 and 2017, and Minnesota did it in 1958 and 1960.
• Baylor is 7-0 for the third time this decade, but only the fourth time in program history (1980, 2013, 2015). BU's three 7-0 starts this decade is the fourth-most in FBS behind only Clemson, Alabama and Ohio St. (7 each).
• BU's current 9 game win streak dating back to 2018 is the third-longest in program history and 5th best in FBS.
• James Lynch set a new BU record for sacks in a Big 12 game with 3.0 at K-State. Lynch, with 17.0 career sacks, needs only 0.5 to tie the program record. He ranks 7th nationally with 8.5 sacks and 14th in TFL (11.5).
• Baylor ranks 2nd in the Big 12 in yards per carry (5.65) and 3rd in defensive yards allowed per carry (3.64).
• The double OT win over Texas Tech was the first overtime game of Matt Rhule's career, the first overtime game at McLane Stadium and Baylor's first overtime victory since a 2012 52-45 win over Tech at AT&T Stadium.
• The Baylor defense has forced a punt on the opponent's first possession of the game in all 7 games in 2019.
• BU has blocked eight kicks in the last 12 games, and have 13 blocked kicks in 32 games under Rhule.
• Baylor's James Lynch (AP, The Athletic, Sporting News, CBS Sports) and Bravvion Roy (AP) were both named midseason All-Americans. Lynch was also named ESPN's Midseason Outland Trophy winner.
• Baylor holds a 113-55-2 record all-time as a ranked team.
• The Bears' rank of No. 12 this week is their highest since checking in at No. 8 on Oct. 16, 2016.
• Baylor offensive lineman Sam Tecklenburg leads the team with 35 starts, including 32 straight. Sixth-year senior wide receiver Chris Platt leads the roster with 50 career games played, 11th most in BU history.
• BU has allowed only 134 points overall and 16 touchdowns in those seven games, the fewest points allowed over the first seven games since they let in only 97 points in a 5-2 start to 1995.

WEST VIRGINIA SERIES HISTORY
• Baylor hosts West Virginia in a nationally-televised game on Halloween at McLane Stadium. The game will be broadcast by ESPN. BU has won 2-of-3 meetings in Waco.
• The Bears hold a 2-5 all-time mark against West Virginia and have lost the last three meetings. Last year, BU got behind early in Morgantown in another Thursday night match-up and never recovered falling 58-14.
• In 2017, Baylor entered the fourth quarter trailing No. 23 WVU 38-13 but scored 23 unanswered points behind freshman QB Charlie Brewer and narrowly missed a game-typing two-point conversion with 17 seconds left.
• BU holds a 4-8 record all-time on Halloween, but has only played one game on Oct. 31 since 1998, a 20-10 loss to Nebraska in 2009. The Bears' last victory on All Hallow's Eve was a 25-7 defeat of TCU in 1953.

NEXT UP
• The Bears head north up I-35 to face TCU at Amon G. Carter Stadium on Nov. 9. BU is 52-55-7 all-time against the Horned Frogs, including a 18-23-1 mark in Ft. Worth. Baylor has lost four straight to TCU following 2014's 61-58 thriller.
• Last season, Baylor dropped a 16-9 game at McLane Stadium that saw the Bears total only 303 yards of total offense and commit three turnovers.
• Baylor's last victory in Ft. Worth was a 41-38 win in 2013 behind a pair of pick-sixes from Orion Stewart and Eddie Lackey that helped the Bears to a 7-1 Big 12 record and set the stage for Baylor's first conference title since 1980.

OCTOBER DEFENSIVE LINE DOMINATION
• Baylor's defensive line is clicking on all cylinders in the month of October. The Bears have tallied a combined total of 13.0 sacks and 29.0 tackles for loss over the last 3 games - wins over K-State, Texas Tech and OSU.
• With 2.0 sacks against Oklahoma State, Baylor equaled their 2018 season total of 25.0 in only seven games. The 25.0 sacks in seven games is the most for Baylor to open a season since at least 2000.
• Texas Tech entered the Oct. 12 matchup having allowed only 4.0 sacks in five games, but the Bears totaled 5.0 sacks lead by 2.5 from James Lynch.
• Lynch and Bravvion Roy became the first teammates in BU's Big 12 history to each record 3.5 TFL or more in a Big 12 game in the win at K-State.
• The Bears totaled 15.0 tackles for loss at K-State, the most in a Big 12 or FBS game since at least 2000. The total equals the overall program best during that time set against FCS members Wofford (2013) and Northwestern State (2016).

JAMES LYNCH CRUSHING RECORDS
• Junior defensive lineman James Lynch has totaled 5.5 sacks and 7.0 tackles for loss in the last three games - all Big 12 victories for Baylor.
• Lynch ranks first in the Big 12 and seventh nationally with 8.5 sacks in 2019. He is second in the conference with 11.5 tackles for loss, a total that ranks 14th nationally.
• The Round Rock native is 13th among active FBS players (2nd, Big 12) with 17.0 career sacks.
• Lynch set a new Baylor record for sacks in a Big 12 game with 3.0 sacks at K-State. He was named the Bednarik Award National Player of the Week for his performance against the Wildcats.
• He is closing in on a pair of Baylor records for both career sacks and tackles for loss. He is also moving up the single-season lists for both categories just six games into the season.

FACTS ABOUT THE 7-0 START
• Baylor is 7-0 for the third time this decade, but only the fourth time in program history (1980, 2013, 2015). BU's three 7-0 starts this decade are the fourth-most in FBS behind only Clemson, Alabama and Ohio St. (7 each).
• BU last started 7-0 in 2015. The Bears are one of only nine remaining undefeated teams as of October 27.
• Baylor has started 4-0 in Big 12 play for only the third time in program history (2013 and 2015).
• The Bears have won nine straight games dating back to 2018, the third-best in program history. The streak is fifth-longest active streak among FBS teams.

SACKS A PLENTY IN MANHATTAN
• Baylor finished the Kansas State win with 6.0 sacks, the most for the program since 2015. The Bears followed that up with 5.0 sacks against Texas Tech, two of hte top seven sack totals in the Big 12 era.
• The Bears tied their Big 12 record with six sacks against K-State, the most in a game since tallying 6.0 at No.4 Oklahoma State in 2015.

BREWER THE CARDIAC KID
• In his time as Baylor's starting quarterback, Charlie Brewer has led the Bears on five game-winning drives in the fourth quarter, including this season's victories over Iowa State and OSU. He also led a drive to tie the game before ultimately winning in double overtime vs. Texas Tech. Below is a breakdown of those wins.
• Baylor is tied with Florida for the national lead with six fourth-quarter comebacks since the start of 2018.

NOTING THE DEFENSE
• The Bears lead the Big 12 and rank 16th nationally with 25.0 sacks on the season. BU had only 25.0 sacks in 13 games in 2018. BU is third in the Big 12 with 55.0 TFL in 2019, that total is top 30 in FBS.
• Baylor ranks second in the Big 12 in Yards Per Play Differential (O-D) at +2.42 behind only Oklahoma (+4.42).
• BU had never had 25.0 sacks in the first 7 games in a season before 2019. With 55.0 tackles for loss, the Bears have the 4th-most TFL over the first 7 games behind only 2013 (64.0), 2016 (61.0) and 2015 (58.0).
• Baylor allowed 21 points or less in five-straight games to open a season for the first time since 1991 when it allowed 21 or less in the first six games.
• Baylor is the only Big 12 team yet to allow 28 points in a regulation game. BU leads the conference and ranks 19th nationally in scoring defense (19.1 ppg).
• Jordan Williams (7) and Clay Johnston (6) rank 1-2 in passes defended among Big 12 linebackers. No other linebacker has more than four.

NEW-LOOK DEFENSE TRENDING UP
• Transitioning to an odd front with three down linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs, Baylor believed adding more speed to the back end would translate to results. So far they have been right.
• Through seven games, the Bears have held opponents to only 32 first-half points and an average of 358.6 yards per game (4th, B12 / 45th, NCAA). BU ranks 41st in rushing defense (137.4).
• With three takeaways against Oklahoma State, Baylor has now had 16 interceptions or fumble recoveries in the last nine games after only six in the prior 14 contests.
• Baylor has allowed only 23 plays of 20 or more yards, the fewest in the Big 12.
• BU leads the Big 12 with a +6 turnover margin through seven games.
• After totaling 10 interceptions in the first 25 games of the Rhule era, Baylor now has six interceptions in 2019, including five in the last four games.
• The Bears held Iowa State scoreless through the first three quarters, the first time a Baylor team has held an opponent scoreless through three quarters since a 28-7 win at Texas on Oct. 4, 2014.