Cal’s Fernando Mendoza tops 350 passing yards again
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Carlos Leon-Trejo, Contributor
- November 11, 2024
Fernando Mendoza leads Latinos in college football
Cal’s record doesn’t tell the full story of how well quarterback Fernando Mendoza has played. In a year in which Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia has stolen the headlines with major upsets, and Joey Aguilar has rewritten App State’s record books, Mendoza is arguably the top Latino gunslinger in the country.
The stats don’t lie, however. The Miami native has broken his career high for passing yards for the second time in as manning games, surpassing 350 yards each time.
Two weeks after setting a new career high with 364 passing yards against Oregon State, Mendoza torched Wake Forest to give Cal its first ACC victory. Mendoza completed 49 of 56 attempts while throwing for 385 yards and two touchdowns in Cal’s 47-36 victory.
Fernando Mendoza also had a five-yard rushing touchdown while rushing for 51 yards on 10 carries. The victory was Cal football’s first in the ACC. The Golden Bears are 5-4 overall and 1-4 in the ACC.
The 6-foot-5 Miami native has thrown for 2,480 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions this season. Mendoza is only the third Cal quarterback in the last 20 years to have consecutive games with at least 350 yards and two passing touchdowns.
Fernando Mendoza joins elite list
He joins Jared Goff and David Webb on that exclusive list of Cal quarterbacks with consecutive games with at least 350 yards and two passing yards. Goff and Webb had four consecutive games with such gaudy stats.
Because of his performance against Wake Forest, is Our Esquina’s Latino Player of the Week. Fernando Mendoza leads our weekly recap of Latino highlights in college football.
San Diego State kicker Gabriel Plascencia accounted for six points in the Aztecs’ 21-16 loss to New Mexico. Plascencia went 1-for-1 in extra points and scored a 27-yard field goal.
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Sophomore wide receiver Kevin Concepcion rushed for four yards in the Wolfpack’s 29-19 loss to Duke. Syracuse wide receiver Trebor Peña had six receptions for 47 yards with his longest reception going for 12 yards in Syracuse’s 37-31 loss to Boston College. Peña has five touchdowns and 639 receiving yards this season.
Thomas Castellanos completed two of seven passing attempts for 14 yards and scored a touchdown with one interception in the Eagles’ 37-31 victory over Syracuse. Castellanos has thrown for 1,366 yards with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Sophomore Joenel Aguero had two tackles in Georgia’s 28-10 loss against Ole Miss. UCLA linebacker Kain Medrano had nine total tackles (six solo) and was credited for half a sack in the Bruins’ 20-17 victory over Iowa.
Logan Loya shows toughness
UCLA receiver Logan Loya had five receptions for 94 yards with the longest of 29 yards. He also scored a touchdown.
Iowa’s Sebastian Castro finished with seven total tackles (six solo) against UCLA. App State quarterback Joey Aguilar completed 17 of 31 attempts for 226 yards while scoring four touchdowns with an interception in a 31-17 loss to Coastal Carolina. Aguilar has thrown for 2,496 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season.
Senior defensive tackle Gio Paez had one tackle for LSU in the 42-13 loss against Alabama. Damian Ramos made both of his field goal attempts for LSU. Ramos accounted for seven points for the Tigers.
Notre Dame defensive tackle Gabe Rubio had one tackle in the dominant 52-3 victory over Florida State. Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata remains perfect in PATs this season. Mata contributed 11 points in the Buffaloes’ 41-27 victory against Texas Tech.
Diego Pavia sues NCAA
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia completed 16 of 31 passes for 166 yards. He also ran for a touchdown. Pavia has thrown for 1,843 yards with 15 touchdowns and three interceptions this season.
Pavia, a graduate transfer from New Mexico State, also sued the NCAA on Friday. Pavia is playing an extra season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he is suing for more eligibility. He is arguing that his two years in junior college shouldn’t count against his NCAA eligibility.
Miami kicker Andres Borregales accounted for five points against Georgia Tech. Borregales went 2-for-2 in extra points and scored a 41-yard field goal in the Hurricanes’ 28-23 loss to Georgia Tech.
Junior tight end Elijah Arroyo had three receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown. Arroyo has 20 receptions for 403 yards and five touchdowns this season.
Hurricanes running back Damien Martinez rushed for 81 yards. His longest run of the game was for 14 yards.
Xavier Restrepo had four receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown. His longest catch was for 38 yards.
Carlos Leon-Trejo
Contributor
Carlos Leon-Trejo is a co-host on the Bring on the Blitz! podcast on the Our Esquina network. A graduate of the University of Houston-Victoria, Leon-Trejo teaches fifth grade math and science in Houston ISD.
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