Dallas ? With a chance in overtime to pull off a huge surprise victory — and finally win another Big 12 Conference game — Baylor’s motorcycle-riding coach knew it wasn’t time to abandon his freewheeling mentality.

Forget going for a tie against Texas A&M. What did the Bears have to lose, other than another Big 12 game as just about everybody else had expected before kickoff?

So coach Guy Morriss sent his players back on the field for one do-it-or-lose-it play. A two-point conversion to win or lose.

As he had just done for a 12-yard touchdown, Shawn Bell hit Dominque Zeigler for the conversion that gave the Bears a 35-34 victory and set off a rare celebration for the Bears (3-5, 1-4 Big 12).

“I think the light finally came on. It was a game I knew they had in them,” Morriss said. “They came together and just decided enough’s enough.”

Said Bell: “We were able to seize the opportunity and end it. This was a great win.”

In the nine Big 12 seasons, Baylor is just 6-63 in conference game. All of the victories came at home, and Saturday night marked the fourth time fans celebrated by tearing down the goalposts.

The last time had been in October 2003 when the Bears upended Colorado in Morriss’ Big 12 debut. Before that, the goalposts came down in 2002 when Baylor ended a 29-game Big 12 losing streak by beating Kansas University.

Baylor had lost 11 straight Big 12 games before Texas A&M (6-2, 4-1), which had won six straight and obviously was looking ahead to next week’s South Division showdown against No. 2 Oklahoma.

Texas A&M had every reason to be confident going into the 101st game in the Brazos River rivalry.

The Aggies hadn’t lost in the series since 1985, winning 41-0 two years ago in their last trip to Waco and 73-10 last year. And the Bears were without starting quarterback Dane King, who had surgery last week on his broken right (nonthrowing) hand.

Bell and the Bears changed all of that just a week after losing the only Big 12 game that most people, including apparently some of the players, thought they even had a chance to win.

After the last-minute loss to Iowa State, Morriss delivered a strong message to his team. He told them this season wasn’t over.

“I really sensed, I think, some of the kids thought we’d shut it down, play out the string and start getting ready for next year,” Morriss said.

Morriss proved his feelings with the gutsy call against the Aggies.

“We challenged them to lay it on the line, and they did that,” he said. “If nobody believes after (Saturday night), I guess they need to find a new place to play or a new line of work.”

Baylor has three games left: at Texas Tech and No. 19 Oklahoma State before the home finale Nov. 20 against Oklahoma.

Bell completed 32 of 50 passes for 262 yards, setting a school record with his completions and tying one with his four TDs. Zeigler’s 12 catches (for 121 yards and two scores) tied a school record.

Texas A&M’s loss took some of the edge off next week’s game against Oklahoma (8-0, 5-0), but the Aggies still will have a chance to get into a tie for the South lead. And they still have a game left at No. 6 Texas (7-1, 4-1), the other division team with just one Big 12 loss.

The Aggies have to overcome the sting of losing to Baylor quickly and get ready to play the team that handed them their worst loss ever, 77-0 last year.