Baylor Bears Send Message to Nation: Their Season Still Isn't Over

The Baylor Bears have somehow, some way, shocked the Missouri Tigers.

Just a few hours ago, pigs grew wings and began to fly; and Baylor silenced the Missouri crowd on the road in a convincing 40-32 victory to garner their first conference win of the season.

“I think you can throw one more ‘big’ in there—those wins are hard to come by,” Baylor head coach Art Briles said in his postgame radio interview when asked about the “big” win over the Tigers.

“We’re happy just because our guys got to have some fun; they played with a lot of heart and a lot of belief. We played a really good game against a really good team.”

As far as my superstition about my son being born on the day the Bears would get their first Big 12 win, I must admit that today is Charlie’s due date.

I am sure my wife is going to kill me for saying so (considering our son still has yet to be born), but I guess the doctors were right to a certain degree about today’s due date; they just should have been talking to Coach Briles and his staff rather than my wife and me.

“Like I told the team, this is a complete team win,” Briles said. “We had good special teams; guys just played up and played well, and that’s why we won the game.”

Baylor freshman quarterback Nick Florence played a phenomenal game against Missouri, compiling 427 yards with three touchdowns in the Bears’ eight-point victory.

“He [Florence] is good; he’s really a good playmaker, and when he scrambles he sees the field really well,” Briles said. “I am sure his numbers were pretty good; I think he looked really comfortable on the field.”

In the receiving department, Kendall Wright led the way for Baylor with 10 receptions for 149 yards with two touchdowns, while teammate David Gettis racked up 110 yards on eight catches.

“We felt good about moving the ball offensively; the guys playing with a lot of tenacity,” Briles said. “We had a lot of people step up today. A lot of guys tried real hard, and they got to receive the benefit of wining a game.”

Defense was also a key in the Bears attaining their first conference W, with Baylor’s secondary stepping up on numerous occasions to keep the green and gold team in the game.

“We’re playing good D, and that’s why we have a chance to win these games,” Briles said. “And today, our players just really believed.”

That belief turned into a big win for the Bears today.

Now, it’s time to take that momentum and roll with it this coming weekend as Baylor hosts the highly touted Texas Longhorns...

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at [e-mail]

[PHOTO CREDIT: David Fuller/LSCSN.com]