San Diego State’s Jesse Matthews, Matt Araiza have Aztecs rolling
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Juan Lozano, Sports business columnist
- November 22, 2021
Matt Araiza is one of the best specialists in America in 2021
This has been the year of the Latino passer in college football. With Ole Miss’ Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Corral and Texas A&M’s Zach Calzada excelling, Latino quarterbacks have shone this season on the biggest stage.
There has also been the emergence of other young gunslingers such as NAU’s RJ Martinez and recently Iowa quarterback Alex Padilla. This week, however, was the week for Latino pass catchers to shine.
They didn’t just find the end zone. They made those clutch catches when their teams needed them the most.
Latino Offensive Player of the Week, San Diego State’s Jesse Matthews
San Diego State wide receiver Jesse Matthews scored all of the Aztecs’ offensive touchdowns in a 28-20 road victory over UNLV.
Matthews scored his first two touchdowns in the second quarter, including one with five seconds left in the period. The third touchdown was the game’s last score with 3:33 remaining to give the Aztecs’ the 28-20 victory.
The Aztecs snapped UNLV head coach Marcus Arroyo’s two-game winning streak.
University of Texas-San Antonio tight end Oscar Cardenas preserved UTSA’s perfect 2021 record. His touchdown catch off a tipped pass on the game’s final play gave the Roadrunners a 34-31 victory over UAB.
Cardenas hauled in another pass and finished with 29 yards receiving in UTSA’s winning effort.
Defensive Player of the Week, Eastern Michigan’s Jose Ramirez
The defensive player of the week is again Eastern Michigan José Ramirez. The junior defensive lineman had 10 tackles and a sack in the Eagles’ 22-21 victory over Western Michigan in early week #MACTION.
Special Teams Player of the Week, San Diego State’s Matt Araiza
SDSU senior kicker/punter Matt Araiza was perfect on PATs. He also punted six times for a 47.5 average, landing five inside the opponents’ 20.
With a win on Black Friday morning over the Boise State Broncos, SDSU can clinch the West division of the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs are 5-0 in one-score games in 2021.
This is in large part due to Araiza’s clutch kicking and punts that pin opponents back and give the Aztecs favorable field position.
Please let us know of other Latinos that you might know of on college football rosters.
Featured photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images
| LAST NAME, FIRST NAME | TEAM | POSITION | STATS | TEAM RESULT |
| Aguilar, Luis | NAU | K | FG- 1/2PAT- 6/6 | W, 45-21 Cal Poly |
| Alcoser, Joe | Houston | DFO | W, 31-13 Memphis | |
| Alonso, Mandy | Virginia | DL | 2 QB Hurries | W,48-38 Pittsburgh |
| Araiza, Matt | San Diego St. | P/K | FG-0/PAT- 4/4. Punting average- 47.5 5 of 6 punts inside the 20 | W, 28-20 UNLV |
| Aranda, Dave | Baylor | Head Coach | W, 20-10 Kansas State | |
| Arias, Daniel | Colorado | WR | 3 rec., 22 yds. | W, 20-17 Washington |
| Arroyo, Elijah | Miami (FL) | TE | 1 rec., 19 yds. | Virginia Tech |
| Arroyo, Marcus | UNLV | Head Coach | L, 28-20 San Diego St. | |
| Avalos, Andy | Boise State | Head Coach | W, 37-0 New Mexico | |
| Aybar, Wilfredo | Stanford | LB | NO STATS | L, 41-11 California |
| Banda, Ephraim | Utah State | Def. Coord/Safeties | L, 44-17 Wyoming | |
| Barr-Mira, Nicholas | UCLA | K | FG- 0/1PAT- 8/8 | W, 62-33 USC |
| Borregales, Andrés | Miami (FL) | K | FG- 1/1PAT- 5/5 | W, 38-26 Virginia Tech |
| Calzada, Zach | Texas A&M | QB | 10-14, 150 yds., 2 TD | W, 52-3 PV A&M |
| Camarena, Evan | Portland State | CB | 2 tackles | L, 42-28Eastern Washington |
| Canales, Mike “Chico” | Maryland | Analyst | L, 59-18 Michigan | |
| Cardenas, Oscar | UTSA | TE | 2 rec., 29 yds., 1 TD | W, 34-31 UAB |
| Cavazos, Lejond | Ohio State | CB | 1 tackle, I pas defended | W, 56-7 Michigan State |
| Chavez, Isaiah | New Mexico | QB | 1-2, 2 yds. 4 rushes, 8 yds. | L, 37-0 Boise State |
| Coley, James | Texas A&M | TE Coach | W, 52-3 PV A&M | |
| Corral, Matt | Ole Miss | QB | 27-36, 326 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT7 rushes, 29 yds | W, 31-17 Vanderbilt |
| Corrales, Beau | North Carolina | WR | NO STATS | W, 34-14 Wofford |
| Cristobal, Mario | Oregon | Head Coach | L, 38-7 Utah | |
| Cropper, Jalen | Fresno St. | WR | BYE | |
| Cruz, Gunner | Arizona | QB | NO STATS | L, 44-18Washington St. |
| Davila, Peter | Albany | DB Coach | L, 36-14 Stony Brook | |
| Diaz, Manny | Miami (FL) | Head Coach | W, 38-26 Virginia Tech | |
| Echevarria, Jesus | Washington St. | DL | NO STATS | W, 44-18 Arizona |
| Escobar, Alex | NM State | RB | 2 rushes, 3 yds. 3 rec., 24 ydss. | L, 56-16 Kentucky |
| Escobar, Ivan | NM State | DL | 1 tackle | L, 56-16 Kentucky |
| Figueroa, Nick | USC | DL | 3 tackles, 1 TFL | W, 62-33 UCLA |
| Flores, Joah | New Mexico | WR | NO STATS | L, 37-0 Boise State |
| Flores, Justin | Maine | WR coach | W, 33-20 New Hampshire | |
| Flores, Reynaldo | UTEP | RB | 2 rushes, 0 yds. | W, 38-28 Rice |
| Garcia, Albert | Fresno St. | DPP | BYE | |
| Garcia, Cole | Rice | OL | NO STATS | L, 38-28 UTEP |
| Garcia, Elijah | Rice | DL | 5 tackles0.5 sacks0.5 TFL1 QB Hurry 1 Pass Defended | L, 38-28 UTEP |
| Garcia, Jake | Miami (FL) | QB | NO STATS | W, 38-26 Virginia Tech |
| Garcia, Julio | UNLV | OL | Total offense- 394 yds. | L, 28-20 San Diego St. |
| Garcia, Xavier | Temple | Def. GA | L, 44-10 Tulsa | |
| Garcia- Castaneda, Isaiah | NM State | WR | 2 rec., 33 yds. 1 rush., 6 yds. | L, 56-16 Kentucky |
| Gonzalez, Billy | Florida | WR/ Passing Game Coord. | L, 24-23 Missouri | |
| Gonzales, Christian | Colorado | CB | 4 tackles | W, 20-17 Washington |
| Gonzales, Danny | New Mexico | Head Coach | L, 37-0 Boise State | |
| Gonzales, Paul | TCU | Safeties Coach | W, 31-28 Kansas | |
| Gutierrez, Daniel | UNLV | K | FG- 2/2PAT- 2/2 | L, 28-20 San Diego St. |
| Hernandez, Dan | Eastern Illinois | OL Coach | L, 20-13 Murray St. | |
| Hernandez, Zach | Cal Poly | DB | NO STATS | L, 45-21 NAU |
| Infante, Gabe | Temple | RB Coach | L, 44-10 Tulsa | |
| Jackson, Jim | Rice | TE Coach | L, 38-28 UTEP | |
| Loya, Logan | UCLA | WR | NO STATS | W, 62-33 USC |
| Lozano, Alex | Portland State | LB | NO STATS | L, 42-28Eastern Washington |
| Madrigal, Anthony | San Jose St. | LB | NO STATS | BYE |
| Maldonado, Dino | NM State | QB | NO STATS | Kentucky |
| Maldonado, Gunner | Arizona | Safety | NO STATS | L, 44-18Washington State |
| Martinez, Adrian | Nebraska | QB | 23/35, 351 yds., 1 TD, 2 INT 9 rushes, 23 yds. , 1 TD | L, 35-28 Wisconsin |
| Martinez, Cameron | Ohio State | SAF | 4 tackles | W, 56-7 Michigan State |
| Martinez, RJ | NAU | QB | 11-22, 167 YDS, 1 TD | W,45-21 Cal Poly |
| Martinez, Marc | Tarleton St. | LB coach | W, 24-3 Central Arkansas | |
| Martinez, Willie | Tennessee | CB coach | W, 60-14, South Alabama | |
| Mateos, Eric | Baylor | OL | W, 20-10 Kansas State | |
| Matthews, Jesse | San Diego State | WR | 9 rec., 75 yds., 3 TD | W, 28-20 UNLV |
| Mejia, Christian | Washington St. | DL | 2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL | W, 44-18Arizona |
| Mirabal, Alex | Oregon | OL Coach | L, 38-7 Utah | |
| Montano, Abraham | Fresno State | K | NO STATS | BYE |
| Montero, Antonio | Rice | LB | NO STATS | L, 38-28 UTEP |
| Morales, Kamari | North Carolina | TE | 1 rec., 4 yds. | W, 34-14 Wofford |
| Navarro, Jaime | San Jose St. | OL | NO STATS | BYE |
| Navarro, Juan | NCCU | DL Coach | W, 34-28 Delaware State | |
| Navarro, Donny | Illinois | WR | 2 rec.,34 yds. | W, 33-23 Iowa |
| Nunez, Jay | Eastern Michigan | Sp. TeamsAssoc. HC | W, 22-21 WMU | |
| Olave, Chris | Ohio State | WR | 7 rec., 140 yds., 2 TD | W, 56-7 Michigan State |
| Ortega, Josh | UTEP | DE | NO STATS | L, 38-28 Rice |
| Ortega- Jones, Julian | Texas St. | WR | 1 rec., 5 yds. | L, 35-21 Coastal Carolina |
| Ortiz, Angel | Ottawa Univ. (AZ) | WR Coach | L, 38-63 Morningside | |
| Pacheco, Isaih | Rutgers | RB | 6 rushes, 7 yds. | L, 28-0 Penn State |
| Padilla, Alex | Iowa | QB | 6-14, 67 yds., 83 yds, 1 INT | W, 26-23 Illinois |
| Padilla, David | Charleston Southern | Ass’t AD for Football | L, 56-7 Georgia | |
| Pagan, Justice | Portland State | LB | 6 tackles | L, 42-28 Eastern Washington |
| Perales, David | Fresno State | DL | BYE | |
| Ponce, Frank | Appalachian State | Offensive Coordinator | W, 45-7 Troy | |
| Ramirez, José | Eastern Michigan | DE | 10 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL | W, 22-21 WMU |
| Ramirez, Manny | Texas Southern | OL Coach | L, 24-21 Alabama State | |
| Regalado, Marco | Washington State | Director of On-Campus Recruiting | W, 44-18Arizona | |
| Restrepo, Xavier | Miami (FL) | WR | 2 returns, 74 yds. | W, 38-26 Virginia Tech |
| Rivas, Eddie | Texas State | OL | Total Offense- 301 yds. | L, 35-21 Coastal Carolina |
| Rodriguez, Anthony | Portland State | TE | NO STATS | L, 42-28 Eastern Washington |
| Rodriguez, Chris | Kentucky | RB | 16 rushes, 119 yds., 1 TD | W, 56-19 New Mexico St. |
| Rodriguez, Drew | Towson St. | QB coach | L, 56-10 James Madison | |
| Rodriguez, Jacob | Virginia | RB | NO STATS | L, 48-38 Pittsburgh |
| Rodriguez, Joel | FIU | OL coach | L, 49-7 North Texas | |
| Rodriguez, Juan | Fresno State | TE | NO STATS | BYE |
| Rodriguez, Justin | UTSA | RB | NO STATS | W, 34-31 UAB |
| Rodriguez, Malcolm | Oklahoma St. | LB | 3 tackles, 1 TFL | W, 23-0 Texas Tech |
| Rodriguez, Oscar | Akron | Assoc. HC/ ILB | L, 38-0 Kent St. | |
| Rodriguez, Robert | Arizona St. | DL coach | Oregon State | |
| Rojas, Manny | Delaware | Def. Coordinator | L, 21-13Villanova | |
| Rubio, Cruz | Cal Poly | LS | NO STATS | L, 45-21 NAU |
| Salazar, Martin | Portland State | DL | NO STATS | L, 42-28 Eastern Washington |
| Santa Cruz, Victor | Hawaii | Defensive Ends coach | W, 50-45 Colorado State | |
| Santana, Bryce | New Mexico | DE | NO STATS | L, 37-0 Boise State |
| Santana, JuanCarlos | Tulsa | WR | 5 rec., 59 yds., 1 TD | W, 44-10 Temple |
| Segura, Justin | NM State | DL | NO STATS | W, 56-16 Kentucky |
| Silva, Cesar | Fresno State | K | NO STATS | BYE |
| Small, Seth | Texas A&M | K | FG- 1/1PAT -6/6 | W, 52-3 PV A&M |
| Sori-Marin, Mariano | Minnesota | LB | 4 tackles , 0.5 sacks | W, 35-14 Indiana |
| Soto, Anthony | Lenoir-Rhyne | Offensive Coordinator/ /OL | L, 31-10 Bowie State | |
| Steele, Chris | USC | CB | 5 tackles, 1 TFL | L, 62-33 UCLA |
| Stone, Jr., Ron | Washington State | LB | 5 tackles | W, 44-18Arizona |
| Umana, Orlando | Ole Miss | OL | Total offense- 470 yds. | W, 31-17 Vanderbilt |
| Velazquez, Alonzo | Wyoming | OL | Total offense- 604 yds. | W, 44-17 Utah State |
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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