Fresno State’s Jalen Cropper Soars Over UCLA
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Juan Lozano, Sports business columnist
- September 20, 2021
Jalen Cropper highlights weekly list of Latinos in College Football
Jalen Cropper did it all on Saturday, helping the Fresno State Bulldogs pull off the biggest upset in college football this weekend. He was one of two Latino wide receivers who proved clutch in upsets over Pac-12 teams.
It was another spectacular weekend for Latinos in college football. Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral, last week’s Our Esquina Offensive Player of the Week, continued to make a strong case for the Heisman Trophy.
Like Corral, though, we like to spread the ball around at Our Esquina, where we amplify Latino voices and stories in sports, arts and culture. We are tracking all the Latinos playing or coaching college football.
We want to highlight their achievements and tell their stories during the season, as we did leading up to Cuban American Zach Calzada’s first start for Texas A&M.
Here is a look at the outstanding performances of this past weekend.
In the Mountain West Conference, two Latino wide receivers were key in upset victories over Pac-12 opponents in the Los Angeles area.
Latino Offensive Player of the Week
Fresno State wide receiver Jalen Cropper.
Cropper had 14 catches for 141 yards. His final reception, a 13-yard touchdown with 14 seconds remaining, gave the visiting Bulldogs the 40-37 victory over the UCLA Bruins in the Rose Bowl.
Jalen Cropper, a junior wide receiver, was an All-Mountain West honorable mention selection in 2020. He also rushed for a touchdown in the first quarter against UCLA.
Cropper prepped locally at two Fresno area high schools and is the son of Aaron Cropper and Lisette Moreno. Jalen Cropper’s family made the trek down and represented in Pasadena.
San Diego State wide receiver Jesse Matthews threw a two-point conversion pass at the end of the third overtime to give the Aztecs a 33-31 upset win over the Utah Utes.
The pass was reminiscent of the Philly Special, popularized by the Eagles in the Super Bowl LII victory over the New England Patriots.
Matthews, a San Diego native, is a junior and a former walk-on who earned a scholarship.
Matthews is the nephew of two former NFL players, quarterback Moses Moreno and linebacker Zeke Moreno.
Latino Defensive Player of the Week
Cameron Martinez, safety, Ohio State.
In a 41-20 victory over Tulsa, Cameron Martinez returned an interception 61 yards for a score in the final minutes of the contest. The pick 6 sealed the victory for the Buckeyes over the pesky Golden Hurricanes, who were within one score as late as the fourth quarter.
Martinez also defended three passes and was part of two tackles.
The Muskegon, Mich., native is a sophomore academically and only participated in one game during the 2020 season. He is majoring in psychology. Martinez was recognized as an OSU Scholar-Athlete in 2020-21.
Other impressive performances:
RJ Martinez, a freshman quarterback at FCS program Northern Arizona University.
The 6-foot, 185-pound true freshman from Austin guided the underdog Lumberjacks to a 21-19 massive upset over Arizona, the loser of fifteen straight games.
RJ is the son of Ray and Jennifer Martinez.
Below is our list of Latinos in college football. Please email juanlozano@ouresquina.com if you have a name we should add on this list.
Latinos in College Football
| LAST NAME, FIRST NAME | TEAM | POSITION | STATS | TEAM RESULT |
| Aguilar, Luis | NAU | K | PAT-3/3 | W, 21-19Arizona |
| Alonso, Mandy | Virginia | DL | Tackles, 2- Total | L, 39-59North Carolina |
| Araiza, Matt | San Diego St. | P/K | 9 punts, 51.4 avg.FG: 1-3PAT- 4/4 | W, 33-31Utah |
| Aranda, Dave | Baylor | Head Coach | W, 45-7Kansas | |
| Arias, Daniel | Colorado | WR | 1 rec., 8 yds. | L, 0-30Minnesota |
| Arroyo, Elijah | Miami (FL)u | TE | 1 rec.,7 yds. | L, 17-38Michigan State |
| Arroyo, Marcus | UNLV | Head Coach | L, 3-48Iowa State | |
| Avalos, Alex | Boise State | Head Coach | L, 20-21Oklahoma State | |
| Banda, Ephraim | Utah State | Def. Coord/Safeties | W, 49-45Air Force | |
| Barr-Mira, Nicholas | UCLA | K | FG-1/1PAT- 4/4 | L, 37-40Fresno State |
| Borregales, Andrés | Miami (FL) | K | 1-2, FGsLong: 55PAT: 2/2 | L, 17-38Michigan State |
| Calzada, Zach | Texas A&M | QB | 19-33, 275 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT | W, 34-0New Mexico |
| Camarena, Evan | Portland State | CB | 1 tackles | W, 21-7Western Oregon |
| Canales, Mike “Chico” | Maryland | Analyst | W, 20-17Illinois | |
| Cardenas, Oscar | UTSA | TE | 2 rec., 15 yds. | W, 27-13MTSU |
| Coley, James | Texas A&M | TE Coach | W, 34-0New Mexico | |
| Corral, Matt | Ole Miss | QB | 23-31, 335 yds., 3 TD 13 rushes, 68 yds., 4 TD’s |
W, 61-21Tulane |
| Corrales, Beau | North Carolina | WR | NO STATS | W, 59-39Virginia |
| Cristobal, Mario | Oregon | Head Coach | W, 48-7Stony Brook | |
| Cropper, Jalen | Fresno St. | WR | 14 rec., 141 yds. 1 TD 1 rush, 1 yd., 1 TD |
W, 40-37UCLA |
| Cruz, Gunner | Arizona | QB | NO STATS | L, 19-21NAU |
| Davila, Peter | Albany | DB Coach | L, 24-62Syracuse | |
| Diaz, Manny | Miami (FL) | Head Coach | L, 17-38Michigan State | |
| Escobar, Alex | NM State | RB | 1 rush, 1 yd. | W, 43-35Carolina State |
| Escobar, Ivan | NM State | DL | NO STATS | W, 43-35South Carolina State |
| Fernandez, Aaron | Southern Utah | RGC/OL | W, 40-35Southern Utah | |
| Figueroa, Nick | USC | DL | NO STATS | W, 45-14Washington State |
| Flores, Reynaldo | UTEP | RB | BYE | BYE |
| Flores, Justin | Maine | WR coach | W, 31-26Merrimack | |
| Fuente, Justin | Virginia Tech | Head Coach | W, 27-21West Virginia | |
| Garcia, Elijah | Rice | DL | Tackles- 8- Total 2- Solo | L, 0-58Texas |
| Garcia, Julio | UNLV | OL | 130 yds.- Total offense | L, 3-48Iowa State |
| Garcia, Xavier | Temple | Def. GA | L, 3-28Boston College | |
| Garcia- Castaneda, Isaiah | NM State | WR | 3 rec., 78 yds., 1 TD | W, 43-35South Carolina State |
| Gonzalez, Billy | Florida | WR/ Passing Game Coord. | L, 29-31Alabama | |
| Gonzales, Christian | Colorado | CB | Tackles- 1 solo, | L, 0-30Minnesota |
| Gonzales, Danny | New Mexico | Head Coach | L, 0-34Texas A&M | |
| Gonzales, Paul | TCU | Safeties Coach | BYE | |
| Gutierrez, Daniel | UNLV | K | 1/1- FG | L, 3-48Iowa State |
| Hernandez, Dan | Eastern Illinois | OL Coach | L, 24-31Illinois State | |
| Hernandez, Zach | Cal Poly | DB | 2 solo tackles, 1 Fumble Recovery | L, 14-48South Dakota |
| Infante, Gabe | Temple | RB Coach | L, 3-28Boston College | |
| Jackson, Jim | Rice | TE Coach | L, 0-58Texas | |
| Lozano, Alex | Portland State | LB | 2 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack | W, 21-7Western Oregon |
| Madrigal, Anthony | San Jose St. | LB | NO STATS | W, 17-13Hawaii |
| Magana, Jorge | Montana Tech | LB | NO STATS | W, 31-29Rocky Mtn. College |
| Maldonado, Dino | NM State | QB | 24-33, 321 YDS, 3 TD 5 rushes, 21 yds. |
W, 43-35South Carolina State |
| Martinez, Adrian | Nebraska | QB | 19-25, 289 yds., 1 TD, 1 INT 17 rushes, 34 yds., 1 TD |
L, 16-23Oklahoma |
| Martinez, Cameron | Ohio State | SAF | Tackles- 2- total , 1-solo 3 PD, 1 INT, 61 yds., 1 TD |
W, 41-20Tulsa |
| Martinez, RJ | NAU | QB | 11-16, 88 yds. , 1 TD, 1 INT 6 rushes, 43 yds. |
W, 21-19Arizona |
| Martinez, Marc | Tarleton St. | LB coach | L, 35-40Southern Utah | |
| Martinez, Willie | Tennessee | CB coach | W, 56-0Tennessee Tech | |
| Mateos, Eric | Baylor | OL | W, 45-7Kansas | |
| Matthews, Jesse | San Diego St. | WR | 2 rec., 11 yds. 2 pt. conversion pass | W, 33-31 Utah |
| Mejia, Christian | Washington St. | DL | Tackles- 3- total, 1 TFL | L, 14-45USC |
| Melo, Lucas | Davenport University | Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line | L, 14-20Northern Michigan | |
| Mendez, Julian | Ottawa University | Offensive Coordinator | L, 14- 33MacPherson University | |
| Mirabal, Alex | Oregon | OL Coach | W, 48-7Stony Brook | |
| Montano, Abraham | Fresno State | K | 1 tackle,2/2 – FG4/4- PAT | W, 40-37UCLA |
| Montero, Antonio | Rice | LB | Tackles- 6-total, 1-solo, 0.5- TFL | L, 0-58Texas |
| Morales, Kamari | North Carolina | TE | 1 rec., 3 yds. | W, 59-39Virginia |
| Navarro, Jaime | SJSU | OL | Total offense-291 yards | Hawaii |
| Navarro, Juan | NCCU | DL Coach | W, 20-13Winston-Salem | |
| Navarro, Donny | Illinois | WR | 3 rec.,27 yds.1 KR, 22 yds.3 PR, 11 yds. | L, 17-20Maryland |
| Nunez, Jay | Eastern Michigan | Sp. TeamsAssoc. HC | W, 42-28UMASS | |
| Olave, Chris | Ohio State | WR | NO STATS. | W, 41-20Tulsa |
| Ornelas, Jesse | Central Oklahoma | RB Coach | L, 10-14Missouri Southern | |
| Ortega, Josh | UTEP | DE | BYE | BYE |
| Ortega- Jones, Julian | Texas St. | WR | 2 rec., 28 yds. | Incarnate Word |
| Ortiz, Angel | Ottawa Univ. (AZ) | W, 45-31Texas Wesleyan | ||
| Pacheco, Isaih | Rutgers | RB | 12 rushes, 67 yds., 2 TD’s 1 rec., -3 yds. |
W, 45-13Delaware |
| Padilla, David | Charleston Southern | Ass’t AD for Football | L, 14-41Monmouth | |
| Pagan, Justice | Portland State | LB | 2 tackles | W, 21-7Western Oregon |
| Perales, David | Fresno State | DL | Tackles-1, solo | W, 40-37UCLA |
| Ponce, Frank | Appalachian State | Offensive Coordinator | W, 44-10Elon | |
| Ramirez, Manny | Texas Southern | OL Coach | BYE | |
| Regalado, Marco | Washington State | Director of On-Campus Recruiting | L, 14-45USC | |
| Restrepo, Xavier | Miami (FL) | WR | 1 rec. 7 yds. | L, 17-38Michigan State |
| Reveles, Miguel | La Verne | Offensive Coordinator | L, 12-22Pacific Lutheran | |
| Rivas, Eddie | Texas State | OL | Total Offense – 448 yards | L, 34-42 Incarnate Word |
| Rivas- Sandoval, Cesar | Southeastern University | Head Coach | W 20-14, Thomas More | |
| Rodriguez, Anthony | Portland State | TE | NO STATS | W, 21-7Western Oregon |
| Rodriguez, Drew | Towson St. | QB coach | W, 35-7 North Dakota State | |
| Rodriguez, Jacob | Virginia | RB | 3 rushes, 14 yds3 rec., 23 yds. . | L, 39-59North Carolina |
| Rodriguez, Joel | FIU | OL coach | W, 54-21Texas Tech | |
| Rodriguez, Juan | Fresno State | TE | 3 rec., 25 yds. | W, 40-37UCLA |
| Rodriguez, Justin | UTSA | RB | NO STATS | W, 27-13Middle Tennessee |
| Rodriguez, Malcolm | Oklahoma St. | LB | 8 tackles, 5 solo, .5 TFL | W, 21-20Boise State |
| Rodriguez, Oscar | Akron | Assoc. HC/ ILB | W, 35-14Bryant | |
| Rodriguez, Robert | Arizona St. | DL coach | W, 27-17BYU | |
| Rojas, Manny | Delaware | Def. Coordinator | L, 13-45Rutgers | |
| Rubio, Cruz | Cal Poly | LS | NO STATS | L, 14-48South Dakota |
| Santa Cruz, Victor | Hawaii | Defensive Ends coach | L, 13-17San Jose St. | |
| Santana, JuanCarlos | Tulsa | WR | 7 rec.,78 yds. | L, 20-41Ohio State |
| Segura, Justin | NM State | DL | Tackles- 1- solo, 1- TFL, 2- QB hurry | W, 43-35South Carolina State |
| Sori-Marin, Mariano | Minnesota | LB | Tackles- 4 -solo, 2 TFL | W, 34-0Colorado |
| Soto, Anthony | Lenoir-Rhyne | Offensive Coordinator/ /OL | Total offense-337 yards | L, 21-28Newberry |
| Steele, Chris | USC | CB | Tackles- 1 total | W, 45-14Washington State |
| Umana, Orlando | Ole Miss | OL | Total offense- 707 yds. | W, 63-21 Tulane |
| Velazquez, Alonzo | Wyoming | OL | Total offense- 378 yards | W, 45-12Ball State |
| Ybarra, Austin | Montana Tech | LB | W, 31-29Rocky Mtn.College |
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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