MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For Senior Day on bizarro planet, Gary Jennings made West Virginia’s most explosive play, Marvin Gross became the defensive MVP and nobody booed Skyler Howard when he misfired on 10 of his first 15 passes.
The No. 16 Mountaineers, dubbed by one assistant as “the most under-appreciated 10-win team ever,” overcame a double-digit deficit to beat Baylor 24-21 in the regular-season finale.
Justin Crawford ran for 209 yards and Howard accounted for three touchdowns for West Virginia (10-2, 7-2), which needed late help from the replay booth to overturn a Baylor onside kick.
“I guess it’s fitting that in a year where we battle and fight and get to 10 wins, we get to it the hardest way possible,” said West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen.
BOX SCORE: West Virginia 24, Baylor 21
MetroNews confirmed before the game that Holgorsen received a four-year contract extension through 2021. While likely headed to the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 28, Holgorsen said his team warrants a New Year’s Six bowl invitation.
“For the life me, I can’t figure out how we’re ranked 16th. We’ve got two losses to two top-10 teams. There’s other schools that have two and three losses that are ahead of us that don’t have losses to two top-10 schools,” he said.
“I don’t get how that is. Doesn’t make any sense to me. Maybe we win too ugly.”
The ugly method triumphed again Saturday.
WVU missed two field goals. It converted 4-of-18 third downs. And Howard completed only 10-of-26 passes for a season-low 111 yards, though one of those saw Jennings race through the secondary while taking a slant pass 58 yards.
Yet the running game compensated: Crawford carried 28 times for a 7.5-yard average, surpassing 1,000 yards in the first half and ripping off a season-long 63-yard run in the third quarter. Martell Pettaway added 63 of the Mountaineers’ 312 on the ground, and thanks to a Howard interception being overturned by penalty, WVU played turnover-free.
“Didn’t play great, but didn’t screw it up either,” Holgorsen said.
Freshman quarterback Zach Smith’s 48-yard touchdown strike to Ishmael Zamora gave Baylor (6-6, 3-6) a chance to rally with 2:40 left, but the Bears’ recovery of an onside kick was negated by an illegal block.
Coach Jim Grobe wasn’t sure whether the replay booth was correct in forcing a re-kick.
“The ruling from what I understand is we blocked them before they had the opportunity for the ball to hit their player, but then there were some controversies to whether they blocked us to keep us away from the ball,” Grobe said. “So who blocked who is kind of the deal. I thought is was a little bit crazy.”
Smith threw for 244 yards with two touchdowns, while suffering two interceptions and two lost fumbles.
“Got to take better care of the football,” he said. “We went out there and played a damn-good football team in West Virginia. They’re really good. A few plays go our way and it’s a completely different ballgame.”
Baylor led 14-3 after Terence Williams ran in a 9-yard score and Smith found KD Cannon for a 60-yard touchdown. Then West Virginia’s defense blanked the Bears on seven straight series while the offense reeled off 21 unanswered points.
Daikiel Shorts caught an acrobatic, toe-tapping 4-yard touchdown in the second quarter and the Mountaineers took the lead on Jennings’ long score in the third period.
“I saw green grass and just ran for hills,” Jennings said.
Howard, receiving a warm sendoff from fans in his final home game, put West Virginia up 24-14 on a 1-yard sneak set up by Marvin Gross’ strip-sack of Smith at the Bears’ 6.
Gross, a junior moved into the lineup after Spur safety Kyzier White suffered a broken hand last week, also made two sacks and a first-quarter interception.
“When it’s time, it’s time,” Gross said. “When you get your chance, you have to make plays. That’s how you stay on the field.”