Baylor coach Art Briles likes to call the Big 12 South the neighborhood.

A place where everyone knows each other better than his own family. A spot where brothers wrestle, fight and sometimes make up (and sometimes don’t).

Inside the neighborhood is an even smaller cul-de-sac where the Texas teams play — and that’s where Baylor will hole up for the final three weeks of the season.

Art Briles and the Bears return to face Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech for the final three games of the regular season. (L.G. Patterson photo / Associated Press)

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Nick Florence threw for 427 yards on Saturday. (L.G. Patterson photo / Associated Press)

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After playing in five states in the first nine games, the Bears won’t venture outside of Texas anymore. They host the No. 2 Texas Longhorns on Saturday before a date at Texas A&M, followed by the regular season finale against Texas Tech at the Dallas Cowboys’ new digs in Arlington.

Now standing at 4-5, the Bears need to win two of the last three games to become bowl eligible. It’s a daunting task considering the Bears have gone 3-36 against those schools since Big 12 football began in 1996.

But at least the Bears feel they have a fighting chance after breaking through with their first Big 12 win Saturday against Missouri.

With freshman quarterback Nick Florence playing brilliantly, the Bears pulled off a 40-32 win before 65,298 fans in Columbia who could hardly believe what they were seeing.

It was arguably the biggest win in Briles’ two seasons at Baylor, and certainly the most improbable since it came on the road with quarterback Robert Griffin out for the season.

“Wins are hard to come by, so anytime you win it’s a big deal,” Briles said Sunday. “It was a gratifying win from the aspect that our guys fought hard, believed and played good, solid football for 60 minutes. But we have to understand how we got to that place, and how to get to that place again.”

There couldn’t have been many fans who thought the Bears would win their first Big 12 road game under Briles after opening conference with four straight losses. How could a team that had a grand total of 34 points in the Big 12 possibly expect to beat a Missouri squad with a potent offense?

A Baylor win seemed even more unlikely after Missouri opened up a 27-16 halftime lead behind an offense that moved through Baylor’s pass defense like air.

But everything changed in the second half.

Mixing blitzes with straight rushes, the Bears started putting heavy pressure on Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert. They sacked him four times and chased him out of the pocket many more times. Suddenly, Gabbert wasn’t finding open receivers, and he got little help from a ground game that went nowhere.

“We brought a few more people in the second half,” Briles said. “But I also think our conditioning and strength showed up. We wanted to play at a fast pace on a warm afternoon, and I felt that worked to our advantage later in the game.”

Meanwhile, Florence’s confidence seemed to grow with every pass he threw. He found playmakers Kendall Wright and David Gettis popping into open areas in Missouri’s defense, and rifled bullets.

Florence’s breakthrough 59-yard touchdown pass to Wright was a thing of beauty, giving the Bears a 33-29 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Florence exhibited his arm strength by leading Wright perfectly down the right sideline. Wright showed his concentration by reaching out and catching the ball even with Missouri defensive back Robert Steeples draped all over him.

“Kendall made an outstanding play,” Briles said. “He stayed focused, and when the ball is in the air, he has the attitude that it’s mine. Kendall has a good, confident demeanor and is great at anticipating what’s going to happen.”

It was the play of the game, and the most important pass of Florence’s young career.

Florence finished his remarkable day by hitting 32 of 43 passes for a school-record 427 yards and three touchdowns. The Bears needed every bit of Florence’s passing yardage since the running game never got off the ground.

“Nick played with a lot of poise and confidence,” Briles said. “He’s going to do whatever he can to help the team. He’s a great teammate, and the other guys recognize that.”

Blast from the past

The Bears won with royalty on the sideline. Former Baylor All-America offensive tackle Jason Smith took advantage of his bye week with the St. Louis Rams to check out his alma mater.

“It’s great to have Jason around,” Briles said. “He’s always an inspiration. He’s one of us, and cares sincerely.”

Smith ran off the field smiling, and so did everybody else on the Baylor sideline.

It was that kind of day for the Bears.

jwerner@wacotrib.com

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