JOHN RABY
AP Sports Writer
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Baylor redshirt freshman Chris Callahan had one thought racing through his mind as he lined up for a short field goal to help the Bears overcome a 21-point deficit against TCU.
“You gotta make this. Or else,” Callahan said.
No pressure.
Mentally blocking out the noise of the home crowd, Callahan’s 28-yarder as time expired sealed the Bears’ 61-58 win last week to keep Baylor’s perfect season intact.
His counterpart at West Virginia, Josh Lambert, also came through in the end last week, and the two young kickers could be needed again with the game on the line when the Mountaineers (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) and fourth-ranked Bears (6-0, 3-0) meet in Morgantown on Saturday.
Callahan had been known mostly as the guy who kicked the extra point after Baylor touchdowns, since finding the end zone was all the Bears seemed to do over the first five games.
He had attempted just six field goals and made only one entering the TCU game, but his fortunes changed and he went 4 of 4 on the day.
“Well, the past is the past,” Callahan said. “I knew I needed to prepare for the future and this past week, it was TCU. My confidence was high going into the game and I’d had a great few weeks of practice.
“My confidence is back and I feel great.”
Lambert’s belief in himself has been a constant, make or miss. The sophomore said he has “zero memory” when an attempt goes wide, and he didn’t let the 55-yard game winner with no time left in a 37-34 win at Texas Tech last week go to his head.
“I’m still Josh Lambert,” he said.
Still, the celebration in the locker room after the game was pretty cool.
“For me, that’s the best part, seeing how happy everyone is,” he said.
Lambert has been the deciding factor in three of West Virginia’s last five wins. He also had a 47-yarder as time expired to defeat Maryland last month, and his 35-yarder in overtime against TCU last November was the difference.
Lambert’s hometown is in the Dallas suburb of Garland, Texas. Despite his roots, Lambert said playing Baylor is just “another game.”
Lambert might not be doing this if not for an alert physical education teacher at his middle school.
He grew up playing soccer and said he “wasn’t the biggest fan of football.”
In seventh grade he was kicking a soccer ball during a physical education class when the teacher suggested he try out for the football team.
“So I did,” he said. “Now we’re here.”
West Virginia was the only major-college school that offered him a scholarship, which he accepted a week after the 2013 national signing day.
Lambert has made 31 of 42 field goal tries in his career, including 14 of 19 this year. Four made kicks have been 50 yards or longer.
None more important than the one against Texas Tech.
“Thankful he put everyone in a good mood,” said West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen.
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