The biggest winner in Week 11 of college football didn’t touch the field this week. Despite being idle, Georgia Tech is set to reclaim the Atlantic Coast Conference lead after losses by No. 12 Virginia and No. 14 Louisville. Texas Tech defeated BYU 29-7, taking the lead in the Big 12. Indiana narrowly avoided a loss to Penn State with a last-minute win. Iowa played a tough game against Oregon but lost with a game-winning field goal. Memphis lost to Tulane, and Miami's big win over Syracuse could boost their rankings. Missouri lost to Texas A&M, marking its third loss. James Madison's win over Marshall might help it crack the AP Top 25.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are three wins away from an MLS Cup title. Messi scored two goals and added two assists, leading Inter Miami to a 4-0 victory over Nashville SC on Saturday night. Tadeo Allende scored twice in the second half, both set up by Messi. Inter Miami outscored Nashville 8-3 in the series, with Messi involved in all eight goals. Inter Miami will face FC Cincinnati in an East semifinal match on November 22 or 23. This is the first time Inter Miami has reached this stage in the MLS playoffs. Messi is a favorite for his second straight MLS MVP award.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Aaron Rai has won the Abu Dhabi Championship in a playoff over Tommy Fleetwood. The victory was Rai's first of the year and allows him to advance to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship next week in Dubai as the leading 50 players. Rai also beat Fleetwood in a playoff in the Scottish Open five years ago. He shot 67 at Yas Links and overcame missing a 3-foot par putt on the 14th hole. Fleetwood shot 66. Rory McIlroy matched his low score on the European tour with a 62. He tied for third, missing the playoff by one shot.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Atticus Sappington kicked a 39-yard field goal with 3 seconds left, and No. 6 Oregon escaped with an 18-16 win over Iowa on a rainy Saturday. Dante Moore led a 10-play, 54-yard drive to set up Sappington’s third field goal of the game. He connected with Malik Benson for 24 yards to get the Ducks into range for the winning kick. Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski’s 3-yard touchdown run capped a 12-play, 93-yard drive that gave the Hawkeyes their first lead, 16-15 with 1:51 to play. Gronowski’s 2-point conversion pass was incomplete. Noah Whittington had 118 rushing yards for the Ducks, who extended their road winning streak to 11 games.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Omar Cooper Jr. jumped to catch a pass from Fernando Mendoza in the back of the end zone, sweeping his inside foot within the field of play to save No. 2 Indiana from its first loss of the season. A downtrodden Penn State team almost denied the Hoosiers their first Happy Valley win in school history. Mendoza connected with the leaping Cooper with 36 seconds remaining to put Indiana ahead 27-24 on Saturday. Penn State rallied to take a 24-20 lead late in the fourth quarter after being down by 13 points in the third. The Nittany Lions couldn’t put together a response following Cooper’s touchdown.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Diego Pavia threw a 4-yard pass to Cole Spence in overtime, and No. 15 Vanderbilt rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat Auburn 45-38. The win keeps hopes of a College Football Playoff berth alive for Vanderbilt. The Commodores had left themselves with no room to spare after losing 34-31 last week at Texas. Auburn’s Ashton Daniels tied it up at 38-all by throwing a 23-yard TD pass to Cam Coleman before finding Coleman again for a 2-point conversion with 5:27 left. In overtime, needing to match Pavia’s TD, Daniels overthrew Coleman in the end zone on fourth-and-7.
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez indicated he was somewhat coerced by teammates into striking a Heisman Trophy pose in another dominating defensive performance by the ninth-ranked Red Raiders. The 6-foot-1, 235-pounder with a distinctive mustache should at least be in the conversation for college football’s highest individual honor. He had 14 tackles and two takeaways in the 29-7 win over previously undefeated No. 8 BYU on Saturday. Three-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes posted on social media after attending the game to get Rodriguez to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Rodriguez is also the FBS leader with seven forced fumbles.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Marcel Reed throws for 221 yards and two touchdowns as No. 3 Texas A&M defeats No. 19 Missouri 38-17. The Aggies remain undefeated, improving to 9-0. Rueben Owens II adds 102 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter on Saturday. Missouri freshman Matt Zollers struggles in his first start, completing just 7 of 22 passes for 77 yards. Despite strong rushing performances from Jamal Roberts and Ahmad Hardy, the Tigers fall short. Texas A&M capitalizes on a key fumble late in the first half to build momentum. The Aggies will face South Carolina next, while Missouri hosts Mississippi State.
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Nebraska quarterback TJ Lateef stood out in his first college start, leading the Cornhuskers to a 28-21 victory over UCLA. Lateef completed 13 of 15 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns, filling in for Dylan Raiola, who went down with a season-ending injury last week. Playing near his hometown of Compton, Lateef impressed with his poise and skill, directing the team to scores on their first four possessions. Coach Matt Rhule praised Lateef's confidence and readiness. Running back Emmett Johnson also exceled, contributing 232 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. The win boosted Nebraska's hopes for a top-tier bowl game with two regular-season games remaining.
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Freshman Cam Ward had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Coen Carr scored 15 points and soared for seven rebounds and No. 22 Michigan State beat No. 14 Arkansas 69-66 in a matchup of Hall of Fame coaches. The Spartans grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and converted them into 18 points, a staple of Tom Izzo’s program for 31 seasons. John Calipari has highly touted freshmen Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas in his second season with the Razorbacks. Acuff had 16 points on 5 of 16 shooting points. Thomas scored 16 on 5 of 15 shooting.
Finals
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final SO New Jersey 2 Pittsburgh 1
Final OT Ottawa 3 Philadelphia 2
Final Dallas 5 Nashville 4
Final Carolina 6 Buffalo 3
Final OT Seattle 4 St. Louis 3
Final N-Y Islanders 5 N-Y Rangers 0
Final Montreal 6 Utah 2
Final Tampa Bay 3 Washington 2
Final Boston 5 Toronto 3
Final San Jose 3 Florida 1
Final Vancouver 4 Columbus 3
Final Colorado 9 Edmonton 1
Final OT Anaheim 4 Vegas 3
TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (9)Texas Tech29 (8) BYU 7
Final (3)Texas A&M 38 (19)Missouri 17
Final (5)Georgia 41 Mississippi St. 21
Final (2)Indiana 27 Penn St. 24
Final (1)Ohio St. 34 Purdue 10
Final (7)Mississippi 49 The Citadel 0
Final (18)Miami 38 Syracuse 10
Final (6)Oregon 18 Iowa 16
Final (15)Vanderbilt 45 Auburn 38
Final Wisconsin 13 (24)Washington 10
Final California 29 (14)Louisville 26
Final Wake Forest 16 (12)Virginia 9
Final (10)Notre Dame 49 Navy 10
Final (4)Alabama 20 LSU 9
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (2)Houston 65 Towson 48
Final (15)Alabama 103 (5)St. John's 96
Final (6)Duke 95 Western Carolina 54
Final (8)BYU 98 Holy Cross 53
Final (22)Michigan State 69 (14)Arkansas 66
Final (18)Tennessee 95 Northern Kentucky 56
Final (21)Gonzaga 83 Oklahoma 68