After all, in Griffin’s mind, it was his mistake - the first interception of his college career - that cost Baylor a shot to upset No. 14-ranked Missouri in a 31-28 loss Saturday afternoon at Floyd Casey Stadium.
“For me to go out and throw an interception when we had a chance to win the game, that’s just not acceptable,” said Griffin, the Bears’ freshman standout from Copperas Cove. “It’s a crucial part of the game, I tried to fit it in there and the linebacker made a good play.”
But if it weren’t for Griffin’s playmaking ability and an opportunistic Baylor defense, the Tigers (7-2 overall, 3-2 Big 12) would have made this one the rout it nearly turned into.
Mizzou’s high-octane offense put up big numbers, as expected. Quarterback Chase Daniel threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns and speedster Jeremy Maclin racked up 161 all-purpose yards. Yet the Bears (3-6, 1-4) were still hanging around, even after Jeff Wolfert’s 34-yard field goal gave the Tigers a three-point lead with 2:31 remaining.
Needing to convert a third-and-8 to keep a potential game-winning drive alive, Griffin tried to sneak a pass across the middle but linebacker Brock Christopher snatched it away at the 34-yard line to seal the win.
That interception ended the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision record Griffin set earlier in the game by not being picked off in his first 290 career passes.
“It was a very emotional, very devastating non-win,” Baylor first-year coach Art Briles said. “I am extremely proud of our players for their energy, for their belief, for their effort.”
Things couldn’t have gone much worse for the Bears early on - two Tiger possessions, two quick TDs.
Missouri had a chance to add to the lead on its next drive, but Marlon Price intercepted Daniel in the end zone.
That pick led to the Bears’ first score, a 4-yard run by Griffin to cut the deficit to 14-7 with 9:45 left in the half.
But Baylor still couldn’t find a way to slow down Daniel, who threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Mizzou added to its lead late in the second on a 2-yard run by Jimmy Jackson for 21-7 halftime advantage.
Griffin and Baylor got back into the game in the second half simply playing keepaway. The Bears tied the game twice, moving the ball with relative ease against a defense that’s had trouble stopping Big 12 opponents.
Briles also showed some serious confidence in his offense, which converted on all four fourth-down attempts.
Griffin completed 26 of 35 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns, including a 36-yard connection with Jay Finley that tied the game at 28 with 9:54 remaining.
“We have a good offense, and when we’re clicking and we aren’t stopping ourselves nobody can stop us,” Finley said. “We had a couple of bad calls and a couple of things that went south in the first half, but we got it together and started moving the ball, and you saw how we can beat them.”
The Bears also got some help from their defense, which was finally able to get pressure on Daniel and slow down running back Derrick Washington, who finished with 98 yards.
Baylor picked off Daniel for the second time midway through the fourth when a pass for tight end Chase Coffman sailed high and was snagged by Jordan Lake.
But the Bears never picked up a first down, killed by a false-start penalty on fourth-and-4, and punted the ball away.
Mizzou moved down the field to set up Woffert’s go-ahead field goal.
Baylor nearly came up with another interception twice, including a drop by Lake one play before Woffert’s field goal.
After coming up short a week earlier at Nebraska, along with a handful of other close losses, the Bears - who play next Saturday at No. 1 Texas, a last-second 39-33 loser at No. 6 Texas Tech - say they’re above moral victories.
Which is why coming up just short of what could have been a program-building win hurt so much.
“Today’s game revealed that we can go out there and play 60 minutes from the beginning of the game to the end as a team,” Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith said. “The guys on the sideline, guys giving out water, the people on the field, the coaches all showed that we are confident in what we’re doing, and regardless of the situation, we want to determine our own future and our own destiny.”
NOTE: Missouri senior defensive end and Rockdale graduate Stryker Sulak made seven tackles.
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
