Cal QB Fernando Mendoza is no secret anymore
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Staff Reports, Staff reports
- September 10, 2024
Fernando Mendoza earns Player of the Week honors
Considering how he excelled as a redshirt freshman last year, Cal’s Fernando Mendoza should catch nobody by surprise this season. In case there were any doubts, however, he made a huge statement in Week 2.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound quarterback from Miami led Cal to an upset over Auburn. He threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns while completing 25 of 36 passes in a 21-14 victory. He is Our Esquina’s Latino College Football Player of the Week for Week 2.
Fernando Mendoza, who started the last eight games of the 2023 season, was one of the most productive quarterbacks in all of college football in Week 2.
Fernando Mendoza can sling it
He threw for 1,708 yards and 14 touchdowns last year as a redshirt freshman. Mendoza also had two rushing touchdowns last year. After averaging 189.8 passing yards per game last year, Mendoza is averaging 195.5 yards so far this season after two games.
Despite his strong season last year, Fernando Mendoza had competition for the starting nod this season. He appears to have pulled away from Chandler Rogers, though.
Mendoza has three touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 40 of 58 passing attempts this season.
Miami coach Mario Cristobal’s Miami Hurricanes had several Latino stars in Week 2. Wide receiver Xavier Restrepo put on a solid performance in a 56-9 victory over Florida A&M.
Damien Martinez shines
Restrepo caught four passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Miami running back Damien Martinez scored his first touchdown of the season. The Oregon State transfer rushed for 91 yards on 11 carries. He added a 15-yard carry.
Junior tight end Elijah Arroyo added a 17-yard catch for his first touchdown of the season. Sophomore Raul Aguirre Jr. had four tackles, including half a tackle for a loss. Andres Borregales added a 37-yard field goal and five PATs for the Hurricanes.
Sebastian Castro, Xavier Restrepo, Kevin Concepcion lead Latinos in D1 Football
Our Esquina College Football Player of the Year: Sebastian Castro
Thomas Castellanos led Boston College to a 56-0 victory against FCS Duquesne. Castellanos threw for 234 yards and four touchdowns. He completed nine of 10 attempts before coach Bill O’ Brien went to his bench after the half.
Sophomore Joenel Aguero had two tackles for No. 1 Georgia in a rout over Tennessee Tech. Iowa’s Sebastian Castro had five tackles against rival Iowa State.
App State quarterback Joey Aguilar threw for 214 yards and one touchdown against Clemson. He completed 18 of 41 passes in the 66-20 loss.
Trebor Peña adds two more TDs
Junior slot wide receiver Trebor Peña had six catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns to help Syracuse upset Georgia Tech 31-28. The Bronx native has four receiving touchdowns and a rushing touchdown already this season.
He caught a pair of 11-yard touchdown passes to help Syracuse take an early 14-7 lead.
Diego Pavia led Vanderbilt to a 55-0 victory over Alcorn State. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 83 yards. Pavia also ran for 51 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries as Vanderbilt improved to 2-0.
Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas showed why he is considered the next great linebacker in the Nittany Lions’ rich history of linebacker greatness.
The sophomore had five tackles and a crucial interception late in a 34-27 victory over Bowling Green.
Junior Nikai Martinez had four tackles to help Michigan State beat Maryland 27-24. USC true freshman Marquis Gallegos made the first tackle of his career.
In the coaching front, Manny Diaz’s Duke squad improved to 2-0. The Blue Devils beat Northwestern in double overtime 25-20. NC State wide receiver Kevin Concepcion had five catches for 53 yards in a 53-10 loss to Tennessee.
Junior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez led Texas Tech with seven tackles in a 37-16 loss to Washington State. Stanford defensive back Jshawn Frausto-Ramos collected the first sack of his career. The sophomore from St. John Bosco High had three tackles in a 41-7 victory over Cal Poly.
Staff Reports
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