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MORGANTOWN -- Ever since the loss to Utah to cap last year's 7-6 season, fans of the Mountaineers wondered what they would look like if it could ever play well in all three phases of a game.
However, not even Jim Croce could have said it better if he sang, "You don't tug on Superman's cape. You don't spit into the wind. You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger. And you don't mess around with WVU."
Not on a Thursday night in Morgantown that is.
Led by a tenacious defense that picked off three Charlie Brewer passes in the game's first 24 minutes, the No. 13 ranked Mountaineers raced out to a 41-0 halftime lead and never looked back in sending Matt Rhule's Bears back to Waco with a 58-14 loss and at the same time kept their hopes for a first Big 12 championship alive heading into a Nov. 3, showdown with No. 6 Texas.
"We knew that they (WVU) would be ready," Rhule said.
"Lots of credit to them. They made the plays and we didn't. We were dropping balls -- balls that we were catching for touchdowns in other games.
West Virginia (6-1, 4-1 Big 12) could seemingly do no wrong -- except for two missed field goals -- while Baylor (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) could not get anythnig going during the game's first 30 minutes.
Redshirt junior cornerback Keith Washington Jr. got things going when he picked off Brewer's third pass attempt.
Then, redshirt senior Toyous Avery Jr. stepped in front of a Brewer pass intended for Denzel Mims, returning it 32 yards to set up the Mountaineers' offense.
Evan Staley turned that turnover into points - a 25-yard field goal.
Finally, Shea Campbell got into the act when he took a reflection off of the Bears' Jalen Hurds' hands and set up the Montaineers at the visitors' 33.
Two plays later, Martell Pettaway raced 32 yards for the touchdown - WVU's second in a span of just 29 seconds.
"Obviously, we are very disappointed," Rhule said. "They (WVU) played well in all three phrases. To be honest we didn't see this coming. I thought we practiced well all week and our energy was high.
"When you are playing against a great offense like theirs, you can't give them layups."
Special teams got into the act to start the second half when redshirt sophomore Sean Mahone came up with a fumble recovery on the kickoff to set up Will Grier and company in action at the Baylor 27.
Staley's third successful field goal - this one from 44 yards out - pushed WVU's lead to 44-0 with 14:20 left in the third quarter.
Baylor, which plays host to Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nov. 3, finally got in the end zone on a 2-yard run by Josh Fleeks and a 1-yard plunge by backup quarterback Jalan McClendon, but it was too little, too late as the Mountaineers received touchdowns from freshman running back Leddie Brown from a yard out and from Gary Jennings Jr. on a 36-yard pass from backup quarterback Jack Allison.
In other game notes:
∫ University of Miami transfer Jack Allison got his first touchdown pass as a Mountaineer when he hit senior Gary Jennings Jr. for a 36-yard score to open the fourth quarter.
∫ Martinsburg native Trevon Wesco had his first three-reception game for the Old Gold and Blue, finishing with 52 yards. His first went for 23-yards.
∫ Campbell's second-quarter interception was the first of his career. It marked the third time the WVU defense has registered at least three takeaways in the last four games.