5 Baylor players to watch out for against West Virginia this week

rn It's been a rough year for the Baylor Bears. It could be a rough year for West Virginia, too, if the Bears pull out an upset and beat the No. 23 ranked team in the country this week. rnJust a few years ago, Baylor emerged as one of the most dominant teams in the Big 12 Conference. That is no longer the case. The Bears are the only winless team in the conference at this point. Even Kansas has picked up one win early in the season.rnrnBaylor may go winless, but it probably won't. The pedigree of this program says that the Bears are more competitive than what they are showing now. With six games remaining, all against Big 12 teams, Baylor will be inspired to pull off at least one victory at some point. Kansas is coming up in a few weeks.rnrnBut the Bears don't want to wait until then. The Mountaineers seem ripe for the picking and this could be a closer game than some WVU football fans may think.rnrnIf Baylor is to pull off a win, these five players will be a big reason why West Virginia lost.rnrn[nextslide teaser="John Lovett" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn rnrn rn John Lovett rnThe feature back for the Baylor football team has yet to record a 100-yard rushing game this season. Like the Bears are doing in their search for win No. 1, John Lovett is looking for that first breakout game.rnrnWho better to do it against than West Virginia, a team that is prone to lapses on defense. Lovett is a freshman running back who is still making a name for himself, so after a few years he could be among the best in the conference.rnrnHe is built solid at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds. He will fight for extra yards any chance he gets. This year, his highest rushing output was 95 yards two weeks ago against Kansas State. On the year, he has 72 carries for 383 yards, three touchdowns and a long run of 74 yards.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Zach Smith" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn rnrn rn Zach Smith rn Zach Smith is not he next Bryce Petty. He is just a sophomore who has had to be scrappy in his early college career to get this playing time. He first made his mark as a freshman when the previous starting quarterback was injured midway through the 2016 season. He competed to retain the job going into this season and he impressed the new coaching staff enough to get another strong go at it.rnrnOn the year, Smith has 1,160 yards by completing 83 of 158 passes. He has eight touchdown throws on the year and a long pass of 79 yards. Smith does offer that big play capability when he has time to throw the ball downfield.rnrnAt 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, he is a strong presence and he shows that he can develop into a strong team leader. That first win of 2017 will be Smith's first collegiate win of his career. The Bears lost all four games he started last season as part of a six-game losing streak to end the season. Baylor did start last season with seven consecutive victories.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Denzel Mims" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn rnrn rn Denzel Mims rn Denzel Mims is the top receiver on the Baylor football team. This season he has 27 catches for 553 yards and seven touchdowns. Like most of the offensive starters, Mims is a youngster as this is just his second year with the team.rnrnThe sophomore played in 11 games as a freshman, so he is almost as experienced as any other player at wide out in the conference. Having solid chemistry with quarterback Zach Smith this season and in years to come will be key into getting Baylor back to a billing as a top program.rnrnMims is an inviting target because he is 6-foot-3. He is lean at 197 pounds and hard to bring down because of his size and quickness. Coming out of high school in Daingerfield, Texas, Mims was an ESPN top 300 recruit.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Clay Johnston" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn rnrn rnrn rn Clay Johnston rnThe Baylor defense will be looking to stop West Virginia's strong passing attack. The man in the middle who will be spying on WVU quarterback Will Grier is middle linebacker Clay Johnston .rnrnThis season, Johnston is the Baylor leader in tackles with 45 total stops. He also has four tackles for a loss, which leads the team. He is just a sophomore and only made two starts in 2016, but he certainly is growing into the role.rnrnJohnston comes from an athletic family as his brother played football at Texas A&amp;M, his mother played basketball at Alabama and his father was strength and conditioning coach of the San Diego Chargers.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Taylor Young" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn rnrn rn Taylor Young rn Taylor Young is a rare senior starter on a young Bears squad. Most of his experience in the past recent years has known much more success than what the team is experiencing this year. It's safe to guess that no player wants a win more than Young.rnrnOn the year, Young has 32 total tackles, three tackles for a loss and two quarterback sacks, which leads the team. He is only 5-foot-9, but weighs in at a solid 225 pounds. Pound for pound, he may be one of the strongest linebackers in the conference.rnrnHis size may be the only thing holding him back from getting a strong look at playing in the NFL next season. He is a top-ten sacker in Baylor history and has been named to various award lists such as the Wuerffel, Bednarik, Butkus and Rotary Lombardi.

Hail WV

5 Baylor players to watch out for against West Virginia

It’s been a rough year for the Baylor Bears. It could be a rough year for West Virginia, too, if the Bears pull out an upset and beat the No. 23 ranked team in the country this week.

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