Columbia, MO (Sports Network) - Nick Florence threw for three touchdowns and
ran for another as he led the Baylor Bears to a 40-32 win over the Missouri
Tigers in Big 12 Conference action at Faurot Field.
Florence converted 32-of-43 passes for 427 yards and survived three sacks as
the Bears (4-5, 1-4 Big 12) beat Missouri (5-4, 1-4) for the first time as Big
12 foes. Also having a huge game for Baylor was Kendall Wright who caught 10
balls for 149 yards and two scores.
The Tigers were paced by quarterback Blaine Gabbert who hit on 30-of-51 for
468 yards and two touchdowns, but he was taken down four times behind the line
of scrimmage by the visiting defense. Having a monster game down the field was
Dana Alexander with 13 catches for 214 yards and a TD in the losing effort,
the fourth in the last five games.
Missouri scored the first points of the afternoon on a one-yard touchdown run
by Derrick Washington on the first possession of the contest.
Baylor responded with a Dary Stone 22-yard field goal and a Florence eight-
yard TD run, but the PAT was blocked, leaving the Bears with a 9-7 edge.
The Tigers moved out to a 20-9 advantage as Grant Ressel knocked through back-
to-back field goals of 33 and 46 yards, while Alexander grabbed an 84-yard TD
pass.
Florence brought the Bears back with an eight-yard TD pass to Lanear Sampson
with 1:09 remaining in the first half, but before the second frame could end
Gabbert combined with Wes Kemp on a seven-yard scoring strike to make the
score 27-16 heading into the break.
Florence and Wright combined on their first touchdown pass of the game, a 13-
yard effort to open the second-half scoring, while Stone converted a 35-yard
field goal to draw the Bears to within a point at 27-26.
The first points of the second half for the Tigers came courtesy of a safety
recorded by Dominique Hamilton.
Baylor again responded, this time with a 59-yard touchdown pass between
Florence and Wright, followed by a Terrance Ganaway one-yard TD run, pushing
the visitors to a 40-29 advantage.
Unable to get back into the end zone, Missouri had to settle for a late 46-
yard field goal by Ressel in what became an eight-point win for the Bears.
Ranked 91st in the nation heading into the week with just 123.6 ypg on the
ground, the Tigers came up with a season-low 10 net rushing yards on 25
attempts.
Similarly, Baylor gained a mere 38 yards on 28 attempts, the team coming into
the weekend ranked 92nd in the country with an average of just 122.1 ypg on
the ground this year.