West Virginia Defensive Players to Watch vs. Baylor
The Baylor Bears are coming off a much-needed bye week following their loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Following the bye week, they have a short week, as they are hitting the road to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers on Thursday night.
Last season the Bears had no issue in dispatching the Mountaineers, cruising to a 45-20 blowout win. In the victory, Baylor did whatever it wanted to on offense, racking up 525 yards of total offense.
This season, though, the Mountaineer defense has been up and down. When facing higher-powered offenses such as Kansas or Texas, they allowed 55 and 38 points respectively. If they perform at the same level against Baylor, it will be a long night for the Mountaineers on Thursday.
This week at InsidetheBears.com, we are providing an in-depth look at the Mountaineers ahead of Baylor's Thursday night matchup. Yesterday we offered a look at three key players on offense for West Virginia, and today we will do the same on defense.
Linebacker Lee Kpogba
Linebacker Lee Kpogba lead the Mountaineers in tackles this season, recording 33 total tackles with one sack. His ability to come downhill and stuff the run has been big for the Mountaineer defense this season. If he can get into the backfield and disrupt the rhythm of the Bears' offense, then the Mountaineers could find themselves staying in this game
Safety Marcis Floyd
Not only is Floyd one of the Mountaineers' best tacklers, he has also had success in shutting teams down through the air. He is second on the Mountaineers in tackles at 25, while leading the team with three pass deflections. The Mountaineers' success in the secondary runs through him and if he can wreak havoc coming downhill and in the air.
Defensive Tackle Dante Stills
Stills has consistently been a force in the middle of the Mountaineer defensive line throughout his career at West Virginia. This season has been no different for Stills, who leads the Mountaineers in sacks with 2.5. He has also forced a fumble, and if he gets into the backfield against Baylor it will be a long game for the Bears.
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Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media.