Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Spencer Petras threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns to Ihmir Smith-Marsette to lead No. 19 Iowa past No. 25 Wisconsin 28-7. It was the Hawkeyes' sixth win in a row. Iowa beat the Badgers for the first time since 2015 to reclaim the Heartland Trophy. Hawkeyes players celebrated by making snow angels after flurries picked up in the second half and blanketed the field in white. Petras connected with Smith-Marsette for a 53-yard touchdown to make it 21-7 late in the third. Wisconsin was still in position to come back in the middle of the fourth quarter, but Graham Mertz threw an interception in the end zone.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri held off a late charge from No. 6 Illinois and overcame 36 points from Fighting Illini star Ayo Dosunmu for an 81-78 victory. Dru Smith had 17 points, Javon Pickett had 14 points and five rebounds and the Tigers held on in the annual "Braggin' Rights" rivalry game. Missouri led 49-41 at halftime and held on for its third straight win in the series. Illinois trailed by 13 with nine minutes left but rallied to tie it before the Tigers closed out the upset. Dosunmu set a career high in scoring on 13-of-20 shooting, and Kofi Cockburn had 19 points with six rebounds for Illinois. Andre Curbelo added in 14 points off the bench.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Mohamed Ibrahim ran for two touchdowns following Nebraska turnovers, and a Minnesota team missing nearly three dozen players to COVID-19 protocols or injuries left Memorial Stadium with a stunning 24-17 win after being idle three weeks. Ibrahim scored on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to give Minnesota a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter after Adrian Martinez fumbled at the Nebraska 39. Connor Culp's 30-yard field goal cut it to 24-17 with 4:42 left. The Gophers then called on Ibrahim to finish off the game, having him carry six straight times for 59 yards on their final possession before they went into victory formation. The Gophers improved to 3-3. The Huskers dropped to 2-5.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — JT Daniels threw three touchdown passes, two of them to George Pickens as No. 12 Georgia broke away from Missouri 49-14. Zamir White ran for 126 yards and a score. The Bulldogs improved to 7-2. Missouri managed just 200 yards of offense after topping the 600-yard mark each of the past two weeks. The Tigers are 5-4. The game was tied at 14 when Pickens reached to his shoe tops to gather in a 36-yard touchdown toss from Daniels in the final minute of the first half. The pair connected again for another TD on the first drive of the second half.
MIAMI (AP) — Miami Dolphins leading rusher Myles Gaskin has gone on the COVID-19 list, a blow to the playoff-contending team on the eve of its game against Kansas City. Running backs Matt Breida and Salvon Ahmed were already sidelined. DeAndre Washington and Patrick Laird are expected to get the bulk of the carries against the Chiefs. Miami elevated running back Elijah McGuire for the game, along with tight end Chris Myarick and defensive end Tyshun Render. The Dolphins rank last in the NFL with an average of 3.7 yards per carry.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Luka Garza surged in the second half and finished the game with 34 points in just 17 minutes, lifting No. 3 Iowa over Iowa State 105-77. Garza missed nearly 11 minutes in the first half after picking up his second foul, but he responded with 25 points in the second half. He was 13 of 14 from the field — including 10 of 10 after halftime — and knocked down four straight 3-pointers. The 6-foot-11 senior scored the most points by a Division I player who played less than 20 minutes in a game over the past 25 seasons, according to ESPN.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Freshman star Cade Cunningham hit a contested 3-pointer with 9.8 seconds left and Oklahoma State edged Wichita State 67-64. After Morris Udeze tied it on two free throws with 34 seconds left, Cunningham, a 6-foot-8 preseason All-Ameircan, dribbled the clock down at the top of the key. He worked toward the left wing, took a jab step to get his defender off-balance and hit the winner over the lunging 6-5 Dexter Dennis. Dennis missed a contest 3-pointer from beyond the top of the key as time ran out. Isaac Likekele led the Cowboys with 14 points, Tyson Etienne scored 19 points for the Shockers.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Karli Rucker scored 18 points and Northern Iowa dominated the middle quarters to hand No. 21 South Dakota State its second-straight loss, 65-48. Trailing 13-8 after the first period, the Panthers opened a 28-23 lead at the half and stretched that 54-36 after three quarters. Rucker scored 15 points in those two quarters and Northern Iowa was 14 of 27, including 6 of 13 from 3-point range, and made 12 of 14 free throws. The Jackrabbits) were 1 of 7 from 3-point range and shot 34% with just two free throws and 14 turnovers. Paiton Burckhard scored 18 points for South Dakota State.
Update on the latest sports
T25 FOOTBALL-SCHEDULE
Bama crushes Arkansas
UNDATED (AP) — The nation's No. 1 team had no trouble staying unbeaten.
Alabama scored 28 points in an 11-minute span of the first half and rolled past Arkansas 52-3.
Among the Crimson Tide highlights was DeVonta Smith's 84-yard punt return for a touchdown, beginning Alabama's scoring binge. Najee Harris provided consecutive touchdowns just 14 seconds apart for the 10-0 Tide.
'Bama also racked up eight sacks, allowed just 188 total yards and kept the Razorbacks from registering a first down during a streak of seven straight possessions.
While Alabama prepared for next week's SEC title game against Florida, the Gators were beaten at home.
Cade York kicked a 57-yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining to send reigning national champion LSU to a stunning 37-34 over the Gators in the Swamp. Kyle Trask got Florida in position to tie it, but Evan McPherson was wide left from 51 yards on the final play.
Max Johnson threw three touchdown passes in his first college start. The son of former Super Bowl champion Brad Johnson threw for 239 yards and ran for 52 more.
Trask ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more, but he also had three turnovers.
In other major football games:
— Michael Carter and Javonte Williams set an NCAA record by combining for 544 yards rushing as 20th-ranked North Carolina embarrassed No. 9 Miami, 62-26. Carter ran for 308 yards and two touchdowns, while Williams had 236 yards and three TDs.
— Grayson McCall threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Jaivon Heiligh with 45 seconds left to give 11th-ranked Coastal Carolina a 42-38 win against Troy. McCall needed just 45 seconds to move the Chanticleers 75 yards for the score to allow them to preserve their first perfect regular season.
— JT Daniels threw two of his three touchdown passes to George Pickens as 12th-ranked Georgia broke away from Missouri 49-14. Zamir White ran for 126 yards and a score for the 7-2 Bulldogs, who went ahead, 21-14 on Pickens' 36-yard scoring grab in the final minute of the first half.
— Zach Wilson's 303 passing yards and three touchdowns led 14th-rated BYU to a 28-14 victory over San Diego State. Lopini Katoa added 136 all-purpose yards and the Cougars shut out the Aztecs over the final three quarters.
— Cam Porter ran for a career-high 142 yards and two touchdowns to carry No. 15 Northwestern to a 28-10 victory against Illinois. Porter came in with just 32 yards and one TD before helping the Wildcats improve to 6-1 heading into the Big Ten title game next weekend against No. 2 Ohio State.
— Kedon Slovis (SLOH'-vihs) threw an 8-yard touchdown to Amon-Ra St. Brown with 16 seconds left to complete Southern California's comeback in a 43-38 win over UCLA. The Trojans erased an 18-point, third-quarter deficit under Slovis, who completed 30 of 47 passes for 344 yards and five touchdowns.
— Spencer Petras threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns to Ihmir Smith-Marsette to lead 19th-ranked Iowa to its sixth straight win, 28-7 over No. 25 Wisconsin. Petras connected with Smith-Marsette for a 53-yard touchdown to make it 21-7 late in the third.
— Ty Jordan scored twice, including a game-sealing 66-yard TD burst in Utah's 38-21 win against No. 21 Colorado. The Utes forced three turnovers and scored the last 28 points after falling behind, 21-10.
— No. 24 Buffalo stampeded Akron 56-7 as a tune-up for the Mid-American Conference championship. Jaret Patterson ran for 105 yards and matched a major-college football record by reaching 1,000 yards for the season in five games.
— And Army has bragging rights after Tyhier Tyler scored on a 4-yard run early in the fourth quarter of a 15-0 shutout of Navy at West Point. The Cadets stoned Navy with a brilliant goal-line stand in the third quarter.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-NEWS
Sarah Fuller 1st woman to score in Power 5 football game
UNDATED (AP) — Sarah Fuller has become the first woman to score in a Power Five conference football game by kicking an extra point. The goalkeeper for Vanderbilt's Southeastern Conference women's soccer champs got her chance on the Commodores' third drive of the game.
California's game at Washington State was canceled less than two hours before kickoff because of a case of COVID-19 on the Cal team. The Pac-12 says Cal wasn't able to field enough scholarship players to meet the minimum threshold.
It's the third Washington State game that has been postponed or canceled because of the pandemic.
In other college football news:
— Arizona has fired football coach Kevin Sumlin after the team's record losing streak stretched to 12 games dating to last season. Sumlin was fired less than 24 hours after a 70-7 loss to Arizona State that stretched the Wildcats' losing streak to 12 straight games spanning two seasons.
— Texas has ended speculation about coach Tom Herman's future by announcing that he will return in 2021 for his fifth season. The No. 23 Longhorns are 6-3 this season after their scheduled regular-season finale at Kansas was canceled because of COVID-19 issues. Herman has never had a losing season with the Longhorns, but they have made only one appearance in the Big 12 title game during his tenure and now have gone 11 seasons since their last conference championship in 2009.
T25 BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Florida star collapses in loss to FSU
UNDATED (AP) — The Florida men's basketball team managed to complete an 83-71 loss to No. 20 Florida State after the Gators' top player collapsed on the court.
Southeastern Conference preseason player of the year Keyontae Johnson was taken off the floor on a stretcher in the opening minutes and transported to a hospital for evaluation. Florida officials said he was in critical but stable condition and would be held for observation overnight.
Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton gave the Gators the option of stopping the game. Florida coach Mike White allowed his players to determine whether to finish it.
Florida was ahead 11-3 following Johnson's dunk, but the Seminoles outscored the Gators 42-24 the rest of the half after Johnson was stricken.
Highly touted freshman Scottie Barnes scored 17 points to lead the 17th-ranked Seminoles.
In other top 25 men's basketball finals:
— Missouri pulled off an upset as Dru Smith had 17 points and Javon Pickett had 14 in the Tigers' 81-78 stunner against sixth-ranked Illinois. Illinois trailed by 13 with nine minutes left but rallied to tie it before the Tigers closed out the upset. The Illini lost despite Ayo Dosunmu's (EYE'-oh doh-SOO'-mooz) 36 points.
— No. 12 Tennessee knocked off Cincinnati, 65-56 as John Fulkerson furnished 15 points and 12 rebounds. A 3-pointer by David DeJulius put Cincinnati ahead 53-51 with 6:14 left, but the 6-foot-9 Fulkerson came back with four foul shots to put the Vols ahead for good.
— No. 16 North Carolina stopped a two-game slide as Armando Bacot had 19 points and 11 rebounds in a 73-67 decision over North Carolina Central. Caleb Love and Day'Ron Sharpe scored 12 points apiece for the Tar Heels, which withstood a game-ending, 9-0 run by the Eagles.
— Chris Beard picked up his 100th victory at Texas Tech as Terrence Shannon Jr. delivered 15 points to lead the 17th-rated Red Raiders to a 77-57 rout of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Freshman Micah Peavy and graduate transfer Marcus Santos-Silva scored 12 points apiece in the win.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS
No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 13 Texas Big 12 opener nixed by virus
WACO, Texas (AP) — The No. 2 Baylor men's basketball team is pausing team activities because of COVID-19 issues. The Bears' scheduled Big 12 opener at home against No. 13 Texas scheduled Sunday was called off, as was a Tuesday night game against Tarleton State.
The 4-0 Bears were supposed to play No. 1 Gonzaga last weekend, but that game was called off only about 90 minutes before tipoff after a Bulldogs player was among two people in their program to test positive.
MLB-NEWS
McCann, Mets near $40M, 4-year deal
NEW YORK (AP) — It appears that J.T. Realmuto (ree-al-MOO'-toh) won't be coming to the New York Mets.
A person close to the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Mets are close to completing a four-year, $40 million contract with free-agent catcher James McCann.
McCann was an All-Star with the White Sox in 2019 when he hit .273 with 18 home runs and 60 RBIs. He batted .289 with seven homers and 15 RBIs for Chicago this year in 31 games during the pandemic-shortened season.
Realmuto remains the most coveted backstop on the free agent market.
Meanwhile, the Mets are finalizing a deal to hire Arizona Diamondbacks assistant general manager Jared Porter as their general manager. That's according to a person familiar with the talks.
Porter won three World Series in the front office for the Red Sox and another with the Cubs before joining Arizona as a senior vice president and assistant GM in 2017.
In other MLB news:
— Pitcher Brandon Morrow is back with the Dodgers after signing a minor league contract. Morrow spent the last three seasons with the Cubs while struggling with injuries. The 36-year-old right-hander was 6-0 with a 2.06 ERA in 45 games for the Dodgers in 2017 after being promoted from Triple-A in the middle of the season.
NFL-NEWS
Titans' ownership staying in Adams family
UNDATED (AP) — Ownership of the Tennessee Titans is remaining with the Adams family.
Susie Adams Smith has agreed to sell her share of the team to the family-controlled KSA Industries Inc. Amy Adams Strunk will hold a 50% share, with the other 50% held by Kenneth Adams IV, Barclay Adams and Susan Lewis. Adams Strunk will remain controlling owner in a sale expected to be completed by the end of this year.
In other NFL news:
— The Browns won't have top cornerback Denzel Ward Monday against Baltimore as he continues to be slowed by a calf strain. Wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge was also ruled out for the second straight game with a hamstring injury. Browns starting tight end Austin Hooper is questionable after missing the past two days of practice with a neck injury.
— Chargers running back Justin Jackson has been activated off injured reserve after missing the past four games due to a knee injury. Jackson has rushed for 185 yards this season and is averaging 4.1 yards per carry.
GOLF-WOMEN'S OPEN
Shibuno leads Women's Open
HOUSTON (AP) — Japan's Hinako Shibuno will carry a one-stroke lead over Amy Olson into the final round of the U.S. Women's Open.
Shibuno carded a 3-over 74 on a day just two players broke par. Olson pulled within one shot with an even-par 71 as she seeks her first victory in seven years on the LPGA Tour.
Shibuno is 4-under through 54 holes.
Ji Yeong Kim2 shot the best round of the day, a 67 that leaves her tied for third with Moriya Jutanugarn at minus-1.
PGA-QBE SHOOTOUT
Kuchar-English team up big
NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Matt Kuchar (KOO'-chur) and Harris English own a five-stroke lead in the QBE Shootout.
The pair opened and closed with long birdie runs for an 11-under 61 in modified alternate-shot play. They birdied the first five holes, then ran off six in a row on Nos. 12-17.
Kuchar and English had a 25-under 125 total after opening the 12-team event Friday with a 58 in the scramble format.
First-round leaders Kevin Na and Sean O'Hair are now second.
MLS CUP
Crew wins MLC crown
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Columbus Crew have earned their second MLS championship.
Lucas Zelarayán scored midway through the first half and added the clincher in the 82nd minute to lead the Crew to a 3-0 win over the defending champion Seattle Sounders in the MLS Cup. Derrick Etienne Jr. also scored in the first 45 minutes for Columbus.