David Perales, Zach Calzada lead Latinos in College Football
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Juan Lozano, Sports business columnist
- October 25, 2021
David Perales saves the day for Fresno State
The numbers weren’t as eye-popping as we’ve grown accustomed to in recent weeks for Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Corral or any of the Latinos in college football. But coach Mario Cristobal’s Oregon Ducks got back on track while Baylor coach Dave Aranda had the weekend off ahead of the Bears’ showdown with Texas.
Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada led the Aggies to one of the most dominant performances in college football on Saturday night against South Carolina.
At Our Esquina, where we amplify Latino voices in sports, arts and culture, we’re tracking the more than 100 Latinos playing or coaching college football.
This is our weekly update on Latinos in college football. We want to highlight their achievements and tell their stories during the season.
Latino Offensive Player of the Week, Zach Calzada
Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada, a Cuban American, has the No. 14 ranked Aggies playing their best football of the years. Since upsetting then No. 1 Alabama, the Aggies have routed their last two opponents.
Before a packed house at Kyle Field, Calzada connected on 12 of his 24 passing attempts for 187 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. Calzada played only three quarters before enjoying most of the fourth quarter on the bench while the backups played.
The Aggies will have next week off before facing Auburn.
Latino Defensive Player of the Week, David Perales
This week’s Latino Defensive Player of the Week is Fresno State defensive end David Perales.
In a 34-32 win over the visiting Nevada Wolfpack, the senior from Merced had four tackles and two sacks. He had a strip sack of Nevada quarterback Carson Strong with 1:53 remaining in the Mountain West matchup.
Latino Special Teams Player of the Week, Matt Araiza.
San Diego State specialist Matt Araiza performs double duty as the Aztecs’ punter and kicker. On Saturday in the Aztecs’ triumph over the Air Force Falcons, Araiza was perfect with two field goals, including a 51-yarder, and two PAT’s.
Araiza’s most memorable contribution has gone viral. He boomed an 81-yard punt to pin the Falcons deep in their own territory. He averaged 54.8 yards per punt Saturday.
Other items of note:
It was a challenging week for offense for the other Latinos in college football, but we were impressed with New Mexico quarterback Isaiah Chavez.
In a 14-3 road victory over a stingy Wyoming Cowboys defense, the sophomore Chavez threw for 112 yards and a touchdown on 10 completed passes in 11 attempts. Chavez also ran for 49 yards on 16 carries. Chavez made his college debut in 2020. The native of New Mexico led the Lobos to a victory over the same Cowboys.
The former Gatorade State Player of the Year walked on to the Lobos in 2020 and earned Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week recognition last season for his performance against the Fresno State Bulldogs.
Fresno State kicker Cesar Silva, a “super senior,” hit both field goals, including a long of 47 yards, and all four extra point attempts in a two-point victory over the Nevada Wolfpack.
We wish the best of health to San Jose State offensive lineman Jaime Navarro. He was out of the game and in a sling early in the Spartans’ Thursday night comeback 27-20 win over Marcus Arroyo’s UNLV Rebels.
Rice University – with Latinos defensive lineman Cole Garcia, Elijah Garcia, linebacker Antonio Montero and tight ends coach Jim Jackson – defeated the University of Alabama- Birmingham 30-24.
The Owls were UAB’s homecoming opponent and 23 point underdogs. The key to the Owls victory was the play of redshirt sophomore quarterback Wiley Green and the Owls’ ball control offense that held the ball for 38 minutes.
Please let us know of any player we may have omitted from this list of Latinos in college football.
| LAST NAME, FIRST NAME | TEAM | POSITION | STATS | TEAM RESULT |
| Aguilar, Luis | NAU | K | 0/0- FG 0/0- PAT | L, 44-0Sacramento State |
| Alcoser, Joe | Houston | DFO | W, 31-24East Carolina | |
| Alonso, Mandy | Virginia | DL | 4 tackles | W, 48-40Georgia Tech |
| Araiza, Matt | San Diego St. | P/K | FG- 2/2PAT- 2/25 punts-54.8/avg. . | W, 20-14Air Force |
| Aranda, Dave | Baylor | Head Coach | BYE | |
| Arias, Daniel | Colorado | WR | 1 rec., 8 yds. | L, 26-3California |
| Arroyo, Elijah | Miami (FL) | TE | 1 rec., 29 yds. | W, 31-30NC State |
| Arroyo, Marcus | UNLV | Head Coach | L, 27-20San Jose State | |
| Avalos, Andy | Boise State | Head Coach | BYE | |
| Aybar, Wilfredo | Stanford | LB | BYE | |
| Banda, Ephraim | Utah State | Def. Coord/Safeties | W, 26-24Colorado State | |
| Barr-Mira, Nicholas | UCLA | K | FG- 1/2PAT– 4/4 | L, 34-31Oregon |
| Borregales, Andrés | Miami (FL) | K | FG- 1/1PAT- 4/4 | W, 31-30NC State |
| Calzada, Zach | Texas A&M | QB | 12/24, 187 yds,2 TD, 1 INT | W, 44-14South Carolina |
| Camarena, Evan | Portland State | CB | BYE | |
| Canales, Mike “Chico” | Maryland | Analyst | W, 34-16Minnesota | |
| Cardenas, Oscar | UTSA | TE | NO STATS | L, 45-16Louisiana Tech |
| Cavazos, Lejond | Ohio State | CB | NO STATS | W, 54-7Indiana |
| Chavez, Isaiah | New Mexico | QB | 10/11, 112 yds., 1 TD 16 rushes, 49 yds. |
W, 14-3Wyoming |
| Coley, James | Texas A&M | TE Coach | W, 44-14South Carolina | |
| Corral, Matt | Ole Miss | QB | 18/23, 185 yds., 1 TD 12 rushes, 24 yds, 1 TD 1 rec., 19 yds. |
W, 31-17LSU |
| Corrales, Beau | North Carolina | WR | BYE | |
| Cristobal, Mario | Oregon | Head Coach | W, 34-31UCLA | |
| Cropper, Jalen | Fresno St. | WR | 1 rush, 1 yard7 rec., 34 yds. | W, 34-32Nevada |
| Cruz, Gunner | Arizona | QB | NO STATS | L, 21-16Washington |
| Davila, Peter | Albany | DB Coach | L, 19-16Maine | |
| Diaz, Manny | Miami (FL) | Head Coach | W, 31-30NC State | |
| Echevarria, Jesus | Washington St. | DL | NO STATS | L, 21-19BYU |
| Escobar, Alex | NM State | RB | 3 rushes, 14 yds. | L, 48-34Hawaii |
| Escobar, Ivan | NM State | DL | NO STATS | L, 48-34Hawaii |
| Fernandez, Aaron | Southern Utah | RGC/OL | L, 17-9Northern Colorado | |
| Figueroa, Nick | USC | DL | 2 tackles | L, 31-16Notre Dame |
| Flores, Joah | New Mexico | WR | NO STATS | W, 14-3Wyoming |
| Flores, Justin | Maine | WR coach | W, 19-16Albany | |
| Fuente, Justin | Virginia Tech | Head Coach | L, 41-36Syracuse | |
| Flores, Reynaldo | UTEP | RB | BYE | |
| Garcia, Albert | Fresno St. | DPP | W, 34-32Nevada | |
| Garcia, Cole | Rice | DL | 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD | W, 30-24UAB |
| Garcia, Elijah | Rice | DL | NO STATS | W, 30-24UAB |
| Garcia, Jake | Miami (FL) | QB | BYE | W, 31-30 NC State |
| Garcia, Julio | UNLV | OL | Total Offense- 335 yards | L, 27-20San Jose St. |
| Garcia, Xavier | Temple | Def. GA | L, 34-14South Florida | |
| Garcia- Castaneda, Isaiah | NM State | WR | 6 rec., 82 yds. | L, 48-34Hawaii |
| Gonzalez, Billy | Florida | WR/ Passing Game Coord. | BYE | |
| Gonzales, Christian | Colorado | CB | 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 Pass Defended | L, 26-3California |
| Gonzales, Danny | New Mexico | Head Coach | W, 14-3Wyoming | |
| Gonzales, Paul | TCU | Safeties Coach | L, 29-17West Virginia | |
| Gutierrez, Daniel | UNLV | K | FG- 2/3PAT- 2/2 | L, 27-20San Jose State |
| Hernandez, Dan | Eastern Illinois | OL Coach | L, 28-0Tennessee State | |
| Hernandez, Zach | Cal Poly | DB | 1 tackle | W, 24-13UC Davis |
| Infante, Gabe | Temple | RB Coach | L, 34-14South Florida | |
| Jackson, Jim | Rice | TE Coach | W, 30-24UAB | |
| Longoria, Esai | Montana Tech | OL | Total Offense – 398 yds. | W, 34-14Southern Oregon |
| Loya, Logan | UCLA | WR | NO STATS | L, 34-31Oregon |
| Lozano, Alex | Portland State | LB | BYE | |
| Madrigal, Anthony | San Jose St. | LB | NO STATS | W, 27-20UNLV |
| Magana, Jorge | Montana Tech | LB | NO STATS | W, 34-14Southern Oregon |
| Maldonado, Dino | NM State | QB | NO STATS | L, 48-34Hawaii |
| Maldonado, Gunner | Arizona | Safety | NO STATS | L, 21-16Washington |
| Martinez, Adrian | Nebraska | QB | BYE | |
| Martinez, Cameron | Ohio State | SAF | 1 tackle | W, 54-7Indiana |
| Martinez, RJ | NAU | QB | 19-32, 136 yds., 1 INT | L, 44-0Sacramento State |
| Martinez, Marc | Tarleton St. | LB coach | W, 17-14Midwest | |
| Martinez, Willie | Tennessee | CB coach | L, 52-24Alabama | |
| Mateos, Eric | Baylor | OL | BYE | |
| Matthews, Jesse | San Diego State | WR | 4 rec., 18 yds. | W,, 20-14Air Force |
| Mejia, Christian | Washington St. | DL | 3 tackles | L, 21-19BYU |
| Melo, Lucas | Davenport University | Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line | W, 21-14Northwood | |
| Mendez, Julian | Ottawa University | Offensive Coordinator | W, 28-14Friends University | |
| Mirabal, Alex | Oregon | OL Coach | W, 34-31UCLA | |
| Montano, Abraham | Fresno State | K | NO STATS | W, 34-32Nevada |
| Montero, Antonio | Rice | LB | 3 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 fum. recovery | W, 30-24UAB |
| Morales, Kamari | North Carolina | TE | BYE | |
| Navarro, Jaime | San Jose St. | OL | Total Offense- 429 yds | W, 27-20UNLV |
| Navarro, Juan | NCCU | DL Coach | W, 28-17Morgan State | |
| Navarro, Donny | Illinois | WR | 2 rec., 12 yds. | W, 20-18Penn State |
| Nunez, Jay | Eastern Michigan | Sp. TeamsAssoc. HC | W, 55-24Bowling Green | |
| Olave, Chris | Ohio State | WR | 2 rec., 24 yds., 1 TD | W, 54-7Indiana |
| Ornelas, Jesse | Central Oklahoma | RB Coach | L, 29-17Washburn | |
| Ortega, Josh | UTEP | DE | BYE | |
| Ortega- Jones, Julian | Texas St. | WR | NO STATS | L, 28-16Georgia State |
| Ortiz, Angel | Ottawa Univ. (AZ) | WR Coach | L, 44-41Langston University | |
| Pacheco, Isaih | Rutgers | RB | BYE | |
| Padilla, David | Charleston Southern | Ass’t AD for Football | L, 45-22North Alabama | |
| Pagan, Justice | Portland State | LB | BYE | |
| Perales, David | Fresno State | DL | 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 2.5 TFL | W, 34-32Nevada |
| Ponce, Frank | Appalachian State | Offensive Coordinator | W, 30-27Coastal Carolina | |
| Ramirez, José | Eastern Michigan | DE | W, 55-24Bowling Green | |
| Ramirez, Manny | Texas Southern | OL Coach | W, 44-27Alcorn State | |
| Regalado, Marco | Washington State | Director of On-Campus Recruiting | L, 21-19BYU | |
| Restrepo, Xavier | Miami (FL) | WR | NO STATS | BYE |
| Reveles, Miguel | La Verne | Offensive Coordinator | W, 50-6Whittier | |
| Rivas, Eddie | Texas State | OL | Total Offense- 378 yds. | L, 28-16Georgia State |
| Rivas- Sandoval, Cesar | Southeastern University | Head Coach | W, 34-6Warner University | |
| Rodriguez, Anthony | Portland State | TE | BYE | |
| Rodriguez, Chris | Kentucky | RB | BYE | |
| Rodriguez, Drew | Towson St. | QB coach | L, 40-14William & Mary | |
| Rodriguez, Jacob | Virginia | RB | NO STATS | W, 48-40Georgia Tech |
| Rodriguez, Joel | FIU | OL coach | L, 34-19Western Kentucky | |
| Rodriguez, Juan | Fresno State | TE | NO STATS | W, 34-32Nevada |
| Rodriguez, Justin | UTSA | RB | NO STATS | L, 45-16Louisiana Tech |
| Rodriguez, Malcolm | Oklahoma St. | LB | 13 tackles, .5 TFL | W, 21-14Iowa State |
| Rodriguez, Oscar | Akron | Assoc. HC/ ILB | W, 45-10Buffalo | |
| Rodriguez, Robert | Arizona St. | DL coach | BYE | |
| Rojas, Manny | Delaware | Def. Coordinator | L, 22-10James Madison | |
| Rubio, Cruz | Cal Poly | LS | L, 24-13UC Davis | |
| Salazar, Martin | Portland State | DL | BYE | |
| Sanchez, Angel | Montana Tech | CB | 4 tackles, 1 TFL | W, 34-14Southern Oregon |
| Santa Cruz, Victor | Hawaii | Defensive Ends coach | W, 48-34NM State | |
| Santana, Bryce | New Mexico | DE | NO STATS | W, 14-3Wyoming |
| Santana, JuanCarlos | Tulsa | WR | BYE | |
| Segura, Justin | NM State | DL | NO STATS | L, 48-34Hawaii |
| Silva, Cesar | Fresno State | K | FG- 2/2PAT- 4/4 | W, 34-32Nevada |
| Small, Seth | Texas A&M | K | FG– 3/4PAT- 5/5 | W, 44-14South Carolina |
| Sori-Marin, Mariano | Minnesota | LB | 8 tackles, 0.5 TFL | W, 34-16Maryland |
| Soto, Anthony | Lenoir-Rhyne | Offensive Coordinator/ /OL | W, 45-3 Limestone | |
| Steele, Chris | USC | CB | 2 tackles, 1 PFL, 1 Pass Defended | L, 31-16Notre Dame |
| Stone, Jr., Ron | Washington State | LB | 6 tackles | L, 21-19BYU |
| Umana, Orlando | Ole Miss | OL | Total Offense- 470 yds. | W, 31-17LSU |
| Velazquez, Alonzo | Wyoming | OL | Total offense- 255 yds. | L, 14-3New Mexico |
| Ybarra, Austin | Montana Tech | LB | W, 34-14Southern Oregon |
Juan Lozano
Sports business columnist
Juan Lozano, a native of San Diego, is an attorney who represents coaches and sports executives. He has been in the business of sport in various capacities for more than 20 years. He possesses first-hand knowledge of the collegiate athletic landscape after working for various FBS and FCS college football programs.
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