5 takeaways from Baylor’s loss to West Virginia: Bears’ season ends in heartbreak

Even when it looked like the Bears were set to win, they found a way to blow it.

West Virginia scored a go-ahead TD with 23 seconds left on the clock to win 34-31 Saturday night at McLane Stadium in Waco. Here are five takeaways from Baylor’s (3-9, 2-7 Big 12) season finale loss to the Mountaineers (8-4, 6-3 Big 12):

Gut-wrenching stuff There weren’t many people in attendance to witness it, but the Bears came so close to finishing 2023 with an FBS win. Now, they finish the year 1-7 at home, and it came when they led the nation with eight home games. Baylor led for a majority of the second half after an explosive third quarter, but a couple of missed field goals and a blown coverage allowed West Virginia to secure its first win in Waco since 2017.

Special teams monster Running back Richard Reese decided to take matters into his own hands.

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After getting just 15 carries over his last five outings, Reese figured special teams was his way to shine. The 2022 Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year bolted through the middle and down the right sideline for a 96-yard kickoff return TD to put the Bears on the board early in the second quarter.

West Virginia went down and scored right back, but Reese wasn’t done making his presence known. The Mountaineers kicked it to him again, and Reese squeezed through the right side for a 93-yard kickoff return TD, scoring on back-to-back kickoffs. Let’s just say WVU squibbed kick it to Reese every time after.

Reese nearly matched his total rushing yards on the season (264) with those two kickoff returns alone (189 total yards). It’s been odd seeing Reese get fizzled out of the offensive attack, but Reese let those two runs speak for the ability and speed he possesses. It’s safe to say he’s the favorite for Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week.

Richard Reese becomes just the second Bear to take two kicks back for TDs in the same game, joining Trestan Ebner.

Reese is the only guy to do it on back-to-back kicks. He has 189 yards of returns on two attempts.

— Brice Cherry November 26, 2023

Third quarter clinic The Bears’ offense was dragging in the mud until the third quarter. This is typical for 2023 Baylor, as first half woes aren’t foreign.

If my math is correct, Baylor's special teams unit is outscoring its offense in the first half against FBS foes this season.

With 14 points so far, the Bears special teams crew has scored 54 points in the first half this season. The offense, meanwhile, has scored 42 points.

— Michael Haag November 26, 2023

Those first two quarters continued to plague the Bears, but offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes seemed to dial it up in the second half, especially in that third quarter. Baylor outscored West Virginia 14-0 in that period to take its first lead of the game. It’s staggering to think that a power conference offense can start games as poor as this Bears squad has time and time again. But once again, a second-half surge had to be made in order for Baylor to have a chance, even if it wasn’t enough to get the victory.

Defense stepped up There are a million advanced statistics that can tell you how bad Baylor’s defense has been all year long, but the group deserves some love for the second half it had. On one hand, West Virginia put up 365 yards of total offense in the first half — which is not good.

But the second half was a different story, as the Bears clamped down and didn’t allow a single point. This is the type of complementary football the squad has been looking for all year long.

What happens now? Well, Baylor wrapped up the year on a five-game losing streak. Head coach Dave Aranda has been on a scorching hot seat for the disappointing season the Bears have had, and that could amplify even more now. The eyes have been on Aranda since opening the season at home with a loss to Texas State.

Aranda might have been able to use this as a momentum builder for next season if it was decided that he’d come back for 2024, but that’s out of the window now. Any announcement of his removal would likely come in the next 24 hours, though. This will be something to monitor.

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