This feature appeared in the Baylor vs. SMU Gameday Program (Sept. 2).

Florence Embraces His Role

By Jeff Brown - Baylor Magazine

When you meet Nick Florence, it quickly becomes evident that he's the type of young man you'd like your daughter to marry: a three-time Dean's List honoree, the 2007 Texas Christian Athlete of the Year, and the kind of guy who would spend the summer after graduating high school sharing the Gospel at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

But even as well-adjusted a student-athlete as Florence can have a hard time figuring out his role on the bench.

That's particularly true if one has had a taste of the spotlight, as Florence did in 2009. As a true freshman, Florence was thrust into the starting role at quarterback when Robert Griffin III and then-backup Blake Szymanski both got hurt in the same game.

"I learned so much that fall," he recalls. "I think I grew more as a quarterback that fall than probably any other time of my life. Coach says you can't teach experience; you only learn by living it. I didn't do too hot, but I learned a lot."

Florence started seven games that season and showed promise despite compiling just a 2-5 record as starter. He finished seventh in the Big 12 in passing yards per game and even set a program single-game passing record, throwing for 427 yards and three touchdowns in an upset win over Missouri.

But when Griffin returned to practice that spring, it was back to the bench for Florence - a tough pill to swallow.

"That whole offseason, I just wanted a chance to compete for the job, and it didn't happen," Florence says. "That fall, I was frustrated as a player. All I was thinking about was me. I wasn't thinking about the team or trying to be a good backup for Griff's sake."

Even as the Bears won seven games in 2010 and made their first bowl appearance since 1994, Florence wasn't enjoying the game. "I didn't have a ton of fun," he confesses.

Over the next year, however, Florence did some growing up. He married his Baylor sweetheart, Rachel, in May 2011, and by the time football season rolled around he was nearing completion of his degree in economics. (He graduated in December and is now working on his MBA.)

"I realized that I could approach things with the same attitude, or I could change my attitude, learn from the last fall and embrace my role," he says. "Luckily, that's what I did; I chose the right thing."

Florence became another assistant coach on the sidelines, connected by headset to the coaches in the booth, and another pair of eyes for Griffin on the sideline. When the offense came off the field at the end of a series, there was Florence waiting to talk things over with the man he was backing up.

"I was just trying to be there for him as much as I could, because I mean, we've both got `Baylor' on our jerseys," Florence says. "I learned that. I just tried to be the best player and teammate I could be."

Even if that meant giving up a year of eligibility to play one half of football, as Florence did against Texas Tech. After not seeing the field all year and planning to redshirt, Florence was pressed into duty against the Red Raiders when Griffin went out at halftime with a concussion.

Rushed into action to defend a three-point halftime lead, Florence completed 9 of 12 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns as Baylor pulled away from Texas Tech 66-42.

"I looked at the guys in the huddle before we walked out there and said, `If you believe in me, we can get this done.' I'd played with a lot of those guys two years earlier. They believed in me, and I don't think anyone had any doubt that we would still win that game."

As the 2012 season dawns, all Florence has to do is fill the shoes of the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. But it's his teammates belief in him - not the pressure of being "the man who replaced RG3" - that Florence will carry with him onto the field.

"For me, I get to play college football. That's what I'm excited about. I've just got to go out, stay true to who I am, and play like I know how to play.

"I just want to go out and have fun. Let's have fun together this fall. Fill those stands, and we're gonna have a blast."