WACO, Texas (AP) - Robert Griffin III threw for 406 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another, and Terrance Ganaway ran for touchdowns of 38 and 80 yards, leading Baylor to a 42-39 victory over Missouri on Saturday night.
Baylor set a school record by gaining 697 yards. Griffin, a dazzling dual-threat quarterback, cracked 400 yards passing for the third straight game; this time was more meaningful as the last two games were lopsided losses.
The Bears (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) improved to 5-0 at home and are one win from being bowl eligible for a second straight season. They haven't been to bowls in consecutive seasons since 1991-92.
A week after overcoming an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit at nearby Texas A&M, Missouri could only come close to wiping out a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit. The Tigers (4-5, 2-4) scored 25 points in the final period, but were thwarted when Baylor recovered an onside kick with 1:59 left.
Perhaps days from joining the Southeastern Conference, Missouri didn't have the kind of stingy defense it's going to need to compete in that league. The Tigers wasted leads of 7-0 and 14-7, then let a 14-13 halftime advantage turn into a 28-14 deficit. Their fourth-quarter offensive surge was undermined by allowing a 68-yard touchdown pass and Ganaway's 80-yard TD run.
After Ganaway sealed the game by running 18 yards to the Missouri 8 on a third-and-2 in the final minute, Baylor fans chanted "S-E-C! S-E-C!"
Baylor went ahead on its first drive of the second half, with Griffin throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass, then running in for the two-point conversion. Ganaway stretched the lead with his 38-yard touchdown following a fumble by Missouri.
The Tigers got within 35-25 midway through the fourth quarter, but on the Bears' next snap, Ganaway broke loose down the right sideline for his 80-yarder. Missouri followed with another touchdown, but there wasn't enough time left for the Tigers to pull off another late rally in central Texas.
Griffin - who came in as the second-most accurate quarterback in the nation, and third in total offense - was 27 of 41. His best pass was a heave that hit Tevin Reese in stride for the 68-yard TD. He also ran 18 times for 64 yards.
Ganaway had 186 yards on just 12 carries.
Missouri's Henry Josey, who came in leading the Big 12 in rushing, ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns. It was his fourth straight game with at least 129 yards. Fellow sophomore James Franklin was 33 of 46 for 325 yards and a touchdown, and he ran 16 times for 57 yards.
The game got off to a bit of an odd start, with each team's first possession ending with a 9-yard punt. Only Missouri's was into the wind. Kicking was a problem all game for the Bears, as they had a point-after blocked and missed field goals of 27 and 54 yards.