Before Saturday’s barnburner, Smith had credited much of his success this season to quick screen plays or passing plays meant to spring Austin or Smith’s best friend, receiver Stedman Bailey. The screen passes are safer, more reliable alternatives to Smith’s airing the ball downfield; but he excelled at both Saturday.

On one long touchdown, Baylor simply forgot Bailey, Smith said. On another, Bailey acknowledged he had given up on his route when Smith hurled a pass toward him and two defenders.

“I’m going to keep getting better,” Smith said after the game. “Up to this point, it’s one of many games. I think I’ve had better games, but statistically, it’s my best game ever. But, like I said, I got a lot of games left.”

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Asked if he felt sorry for defensive coordinators in the Big 12, Smith laughed, then said, “Hmm, I don’t know. No, I don’t, actually. I know they’re going to come up with some crazy schemes, and we got to be prepared for it.”

In the coming weeks of West Virginia’s inaugural Big 12 season, Smith will face five teams — Texas Tech, Kansas State, Texas Christian, Oklahoma and Iowa State — that have thus far allowed fewer than 16 points a game on average. The Mountaineers average 53.

And No. 11 Texas, their opponent next week, possesses the athletes and system to slow West Virginia’s offense. The Mountaineers’ breakneck pace worked against Baylor because the Bears preferred that tempo, too.

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“Not every Big 12 game is like this,” Holgorsen said. “It’s not going to be like this next week. Texas has got an unbelievable defense.”

The best way to defend Smith, it seems, is to disrupt that easy, flowing pace by simply keeping the ball away from him. This season, only Maryland has come close to accomplishing this. The Terrapins disguised their defenses, showed Smith exotic looks and forced him to throw 13 incompletions. West Virginia was limited to 31 points and punted seven times. Though his statistics did not exactly show it — Smith threw for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns — he was momentarily flummoxed.

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Less than enthused, Holgorsen joked on Yahoo Sports radio that at least he napped during the 31-21 victory over Maryland. Against Baylor, Holgorsen’s offense could not afford to rest. On the game’s final drive, J. D. Woods made a spectacular one-handed catch, preventing a rare errant pass by Smith from being intercepted and possibly returned for a touchdown. Such a play would have put Baylor in position to tie the game, 70-70.

“It makes it scary on offense, having to try and make plays all the way to the final drive,” Bailey said. “When you look at it and say 70 points is not safe, man, it gets crazy.”

Playing with urgency should pad Smith’s statistics. Robert Griffin III threw for 4,293 yards and 37 touchdowns and his team was 9-3 when he won the Heisman Trophy last season. West Virginia’s defense could cost Smith wins, but it should also lead to heightened production by him in pursuit of them. Griffin’s defense, which allowed 488 yards a game, was the fifth worst in the country.

Chris Huston, who is the founder of Heismanpundit.com, noted that the last four quarterbacks to win the Heisman reached or approached 50 total touchdowns before their bowl games that season, a mark that “seems to be the slam dunk” for Smith, Huston said. Tim Tebow had 51; Sam Bradford, 53; Cam Newton, 48; and Griffin, 45. After four games this season, Smith has 21.

Other Heisman candidates — quarterbacks E. J. Manuel of Florida State and Collin Klein of Kansas State, and Oregon running backs Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas — may star for better teams. Smith’s team, imperfect as it is, may win him the Heisman.