AP Player of the Week: Vandy's Diego Pavia piles up 489 yards of total offense in OT win over Auburn

The Associated Press national player of the week in football for Week 11 of the season:

Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

The Commodores quarterback amassed a career-high 489 yards of total offense, throwing for a career-high 377 yards and rushing for 112 in a 45-38 overtime win over Auburn. Pavia became the first Vanderbilt player since at least 1996 to record 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in a game. Pavia also passed for three touchdowns and ran for one.

Pavia’s last pass was 4 yards to Cole Spence in overtime and completed Vandy’s rally from a 10-point deficit. The win kept alive the Commodores’ hopes of a College Football Playoff berth.

Runner-up

Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. made the play of the season with his toe-tap catch in the back of the end zone for the winning touchdown in a 27-24 victory over Penn State.

Fernando Mendoza, under heavy pressure, threw off his back foot and the well-covered Cooper came down with the ball, curling his right foot back and getting his left toe down just inside the end line. Cooper caught six balls for 32 yards in the game and leads the second-ranked and unbeaten Hoosiers with 52 catches for 701 yards and nine touchdowns.

Honorable mention

Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson rushed 28 times for 129 yards and had a career-high 103 receiving yards on three receptions, including a pair of TD catches, to account for 232 yards from scrimmage in a 28-21 win at UCLA. It was the first time a Nebraska running back had 100 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in the same game. … Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez had two takeaways and 14 tackles in the Red Raiders’ 29-7 win over BYU. He recorded his third interception of the season and has eight takeaways in Big 12 play. … Wisconsin LB Mason Posa had 11 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in a 13-10 win over Washington. His forced fumble came on a strip sack, gave the Badgers the ball at the Washington 7 and set up Wisconsin’s only touchdown. … Tulane QB Jake Retzlaff threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-32 win at Memphis.

Six stats

— Cam Cook remains the national rushing leader for a fourth straight week with 131 yards per game. Cook went past Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy when he ran for 218 yards against Sam Houston on Oct. 9 and has had three straight 100-yard games since.

— The 7.2 points per game allowed by Ohio State is the lowest average through a Week 11 since Alabama gave up 7.1 per game in 2011.

— Louisiana Tech has scored on a pick-6 in two straight games, and its seven defensive touchdowns through nine games are the most in a season since Temple had seven in 13 games in 2018.

— Southern Mississippi’s Josh Moten and UCF’s Phillip Dunman each intercepted three passes. Moten, in a win over Arkansas State, became the first Southern Miss player with three picks since 2002. Dunman, in a loss to Houston, became the first player in UCF’s 30 FBS seasons to accomplish the feat.

— SMU’s Isaiah Smith was credited with an FBS season-high four sacks against Boston College. Smith tied the school record with the most sacks in a game since Justin Lawler had four against UConn in 2017.

— The 20 penalties called on Iowa this season are fewest in the FBS through a Week 11 since at least 2000 (not including the 2020 pandemic season).

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AP voters: Aaron Beard, Cliff Brunt, Maura Carey, Pat Graham, Stephen Hawkins, Mark Long, Mike Marot, Steve Megargee, John Marshall, Eric Olson, Eddie Pells.

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