WACO, Texas — A week ago after getting beat by Iowa State, Nebraska was kicking itself over numerous missed scoring opportunities. After Saturday's 20-10 loss to NU, the Baylor Bears were the ones doing the kicking.

Five times in the second half, the Baylor offense penetrated Nebraska territory, including four marches that reached at least the Husker 24.

But the Bears couldn't punch it into the end zone.

“It's frustrating when a play slips through your hands or you don't make them,” Baylor quarterback Nick Florence said. “We fought hard in the second half, and it was a valiant effort. But it hurts when you're so close to making something happen.”

A key moment came in the fourth quarter. With the momentum going its way, Baylor drove to the Nebraska 7 before a drive stalled.

Ben Parks came on and hooked a 24-yard field-goal attempt wide left, a kick that would have pulled Baylor within 20-13 with 6:28 remaining.

Referring to Parks' miss, Baylor coach Art Briles said: “That took a bunch out of us. We had two timeouts left, you get three up there and then you've got a seven-point game.

“The way our defense was playing the second half, we felt like we could kick them down there and probably get the ball back around the 40- or 50-yard line and have a chance to win the game or at least send it to overtime.”

The defense held up its end of the bargain.

Nebraska scored two field goals and a touchdown on its first three possessions after blocking a Baylor punt and returning it for a score to build a 20-0 lead with 9:28 remaining in the second quarter.

But the Bears held the Huskers scoreless the rest of the way, and the defense supplied Baylor's only touchdown on a 45-yard interception return from Clifton Odom that made it 20-10 with 3:27 left in the third quarter.

“That was huge,” safety Jordan Lake said. “That swung the momentum big-time. Unfortunately, we weren't able to capitalize much off of it.”

The Baylor defense rose up again after the missed field-goal try, giving the ball back to its offense by forcing a Nebraska three-and-out.

Baylor marched to the Nebraska 20, thanks in large part to a 41-yard pass from Florence to David Gettis.

But another big chance slipped through the Bears' hands — literally.

On second down, running back Jarred Salubi ran a wheel route and was wide open in the end zone.

Salubi caught up with Florence's lofted pass, but it squirted through his arms and fell incomplete.

“It was just a little wheel route, so I threw it up,” Florence said. “That safety was looking right at me, and I think he actually thought I was about to get sacked and that's why he didn't roll with it. I did get hit from behind, but it was there.”

The ball eventually went over on downs with 2:33 left.

Even when the Bears did turn a chance into points, they didn't get as many as they could have.

Early in the third quarter, Baylor reached the Nebraska 16 with a second-and-4.

But back-to-back presnap penalties pushed the Bears back to the 26, and they settled for a 41-yard Parks field goal that put them on the board.

“There were a couple of things (in the second half) that were pretty inspiring,” Briles said.

“We stop them and go down and get a field goal, and then we get the pick for the touchdown and all the sudden the momentum and the complexion of the game has changed. We've got to do a better job of creating those situations, creating that momentum.”