In West Virginia’s welcoming game into the Big 12 Conference, QB Geno Smith made a grand entrance, shredding the record books with the type of statistical performance in front of a nationally televised audience against an undefeated, ranked opponent that propels Heisman Trophy hopefuls to the top of the list.

In his second season in Dana Holgorsen’s spread offense, Smith looked very at ease in the pocket, completing 45(-of-51) passes for 656 passing yards and eight touchdowns — all school records that were set in a prolific shootout against a soft Baylor defense, which employed a three-man pass rush the majority of the game. That allowed Smith to comfortably carve up the Bears.

A year after Baylor QB Robert Griffin III catapulted up draft boards by showing off a deft downfield touch, dazzling display of moves and an exceptionally efficient TD-interception ratio to continually overcome a bad defense, Smith is following suit. Through four games, he’s completing a nation’s best 83.4 percent of his passes with a 20-0 TD-INT ratio that exceeds Griffin’s eye-opening start in 2011.

Where Smith differs from Griffin, however, is in his ability as a runner. Where Griffin could bring the ball down, spin out of a tackle, reset his feet and either connect on a long ball or rip off a 50-yard scamper of his own, Smith is relatively stationary in the pocket. Also, his production vs. Baylor was heavily padded by the big-play ability of star WRs Tavon Austin, who hauled in 14 catches for 215 yards and two TDs — including a five-yard slant that he broke for a 45-yard TD — and junior WR Steadman Bailey, who racked up a whopping 13-303-5 receiving.