Mexico’s Jesus Gomez helps stun Arizona State

A day after Mexican Independence Day, Eastern Michigan kicker Jesus Gomez delivered a performance worthy of El Grito. The native of Puebla drilled three field goals to help Eastern Michigan pull off the upset against Arizona State.

Gomez is a rare Division I football player who was recruited out of Mexico. The sophomore from Puebla, Mexico, starred for the Borregos (Rams) of Puebla’s Prepa Tec.

He was rated a 5-star kicker and the 13th best kicker in the country by Kohl’s in the class of 2021. If he had played high school football in the United States, he might have been more coveted by major programs. Nonetheless, Gomez is Our Esquina’s Player of the Week.

Jesus Gomez drilled field goals of 27, 40, 20 in the winning effort. Those figures proved to be the difference for Eastern Michigan’s 30-21 road victory over Arizona State.

Latinos around college football 

Washington State defensive lineman Christian Mejia and edge rusher Ron Stone, Jr., last week’s OurEsquina’s co-Players of the Week, continued to lead the way for the Cougars.

The dynamic defensive duo helped the Cougars rock Colorado State 38-7. 

Mejia had three tackles. Stone added a tackle and a quarterback hurry. Washington State edge rusher Gabriel Lopez, a redshirt freshman, added a tackle. 

UTEP’s wide receiver Reynaldo Flores, Our Esquina’s first Player of the Week this season, grabbed three passes for 36 yards in the Miners 27-10 loss to the University of New Mexico Lobos. The Lobos are led by head coach Danny Gonzales, one of only five Latino head coaches in FBS football. 

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Oregon defensive back Christian Gonzalez made two tackles and defended two passses as the Oregon Ducks tamed the previously unbeaten BYU Cougars, 41-20. 

University of Texas punter Daniel Trejo averaged 45.3 yards per punt on his three punts. He had a long of 58 yards and pinned one inside the opponents’ 20-yard line as the Longhorns stopped UTSA. 41-20.

University of Texas – San Antonio tight end Oscar Cardenas caught three passes for 28 yards against the Longhorns.

Cuban Mariano Sori-Marin continues to shine

Minnesota linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin had six tackles, including one for a loss, and a pass defended as the Gophers crushed visiting Colorado 49-7. Sori-Marin and the Gophers are now 3-0.

Colorado wide receiver Daniel Arias hauled in three catches for 22 yards against the Gophers. Oregon State freshman running back Damien Martinez rushed eight times for 50 yards and a score as the Beavers defeated Montana State, 68-28. 

In a 45-17 loss against USC, Fresno State Bulldogs wide receiver Jalen Moreno-Cropper caught eight passes for 62 yards. He also rushed for 18 yards on two carries.   

Fresno State defensive end David Perales was one of the Bulldogs’ few bright spots. He had three tackles, two sacks and a quarterback hurry, delivering a dominant performance against one of the best programs in the country. Abraham Montano added a field goal for the Bulldogs. 

Jesus Gomez wasn’t the only Latino star for Eastern Michigan at Arizona State. Defensive end/edge rusher Jose Ramirez had three tackles in the 30-21 stunning road victory over the Sun Devils. Arizona State gained 171 yards and nearly 8 yards per carry on the ground running behind right guard Chris Martinez and the offensive line.  

Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez threw for 150 yards and a touchdown on  21-of-31 passing. The former Nebraska star also carried the ball 13 times for 59 yards in the home loss to Tulane. Iowa safety Sebastian Castro made two tackles, including a tackle for a loss in  the Hawkeyes’ 27-0 shutout of the Nevada Wolf Pack. 

Xavier Restrepo missed at Miami

Miami (FL) tight end Elijah Arroyo hauled in his second catch of the year, a 29-yard strike from quarterback Tyler Van Dyke in the Hurricanes’ 17-9 road loss to Texas A&M.  Arroyo and others will have to pick up the slack for the Hurricanes as they are expected to be without the services of leading wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, who is expected to miss time with a foot injury.

Miami kicker Andres Borregales had a bittersweet night at Kyle Field. He was 3-for-5 on field goal attempts. He missed one wide 

San Diego State’s Jesse Matthews had a solo reception for 15 yards in a 35-7 loss to the Utah Utes.  

Kent State running back Gavin Garcia carried the ball nine  times for 82 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown run in the Golden Flashes 63-10 victory over FCS Long Island University. The touchdown was Garcia’s first in college.

Notre Dame defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio saw action for the second week for the Irish. The son of former NFL defensive lineman Angel Rubio was in for a pair of snaps. He’s still looking for the first tackle of the season.