Know Your Foe: Baylor Defensive Breakdown

The Bears come to Morgantown with one of the top defenses in the league

The West Virginia Mountaineers (2-3, 0-2) host the Baylor Bears (3-2, 1-1) Thursday night at 7:00 with the action broadcasting on FS1.

The Bears defense ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in total defense, 25th nationally, allowing 320 yards per game, including stuffing rushing attacks for 96.8 yards per game.

Baylor opened the 2022 season holding each of their first four opponents to under 100 rushing yards before allowing 166 yards in the loss to Oklahoma State the last time the Bears took the field, but it took the Cowboys 46 carries to get there. The four-game mark was the longest streak of consecutive games holding foes to under 100 yards on the ground since 1953, when the Bears held opponents in games 2-6 (Miami, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, TCU) to under 100 yards rushing.

Senior safety Al Walcott leads the team in tackles (32) and tackles for a loss (5) from the “STAR” position. It’s the same spot that Jalen Pitre excelled in last season to earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021.

Oct 1, 2022; Waco, Texas, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders (3) is sacked by Baylor Bears linebacker Garmon Randolph (55) and linebacker Dillon Doyle (5) during the second half at McLane Stadium / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Linebacker Matt Jones is second on the team in tackles with 28, also falling behind Walcott in tackles for a loss with three, including 1.5 sacks.

Nose guard Siaki Ika anchors the middle of the defensive line with his 6’4” 360-lb pound frame. The junior pushes the pocket into the quarterback and allows the linebackers and safeties to get to the quarterback, with the units combining for 9 of the teams 10 sacks on the season and JACK Bryson Jackson leading the Bears with two. 

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