Diego Pavia, Joey Aguilar lead Latinos in college football
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Xavier Andrade,
- September 15, 2025
Recapping how Latinos performed in Week 3 of college football
Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion played crucial roles in three of the most exciting games in Week 3 of the college football season.
Pavia and Concepcion helped their teams to upsets on the road. Vanderbilt took down South Carolina on the same day Texas A&M beat Notre Dame. Aguilar had Tennessee in position to complete an upset at home over Georgia, but the Bulldogs missed a field goal in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter before losing in overtime.
Pavia, Aguilar and Concepcion were so impressive, it would be unfair to pick just one Latino Player of the Week for Week 3 of the college football season. They all deserve the honors. Let’s see how Latinos performed in Week 3:
Joey Aguilar came out firing against Georgia in arguably the most exciting game of the weekend. The transfer from App State completed 14 pass attempts with 213 passing yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone.
Aguilar finished with 371 passing yards and five touchdowns, including one rushing in a 44-41 overtime loss. He also threw two interceptions.
Diego Pavia delivers
At SEC Media Day, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia promised to hunt for more upsets. It didn’t take long for the former New Mexico State transfer to deliver. He guided the Commodores to their first win in an SEC opener in 14 years.
Moreover, Vanderbilt hadn’t defeated a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 since 2007.
Pavia passed for 177 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in a 31-7 win against then-No. 11 South Carolina. Pavia also rushed for 24 yards in 11 attempts.
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To truly appreciate what Pavia has done since his debut as a graduate student last season, it’s important to acknowledge Vanderbilt’s history. The Commodores had dropped 16 games in a row against the Gamecocks.
Moreover, Vanderbilt is 3-0 for the first time since 2017.
KC Concepcion was Texas A&M’s second-leading receiver in their thrilling 41-40 victory at then-No. 8 Notre Dame. He caught four passes for 82 yards. Notre Dame defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio finished with one tackle. He also was a disruptive force in the fourth quarter with a key pass defended.
Joenel Aguero spoils Aguilar’s near upset
Georgia safety Joenel Aguero helped Georgia spark a rally from an early 21-7 deficit when he intercepted Aguilar with 1:10 left in the second quarter. The junior had four total tackles, two pass deflections and the interception.
LSU kicker Damian Ramos went 2 for 2 on field goals, connecting from 47 and 45 yards in a 20-10 win against Florida. Kentucky tight end Willie Rodriguez hauled in a receiving touchdown along with two receptions for 28 yards in a 48-23 win against Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan freshman defensive lineman Hector Gonzalez had one tackle against Kentucky. Alabama tight end Josh Cuevas caught three passes for 22 yards in a 38-14 win over Wisconsin. Sophomore Cyrus Reyes recorded one tackle for Mississippi State in a 63-0 rout against Alcorn State.
Auburn freshman linebacker Elijah Melendez had three tackles in a 31-15 win over South Alabama. Oregon safety Peyton Woodyard had four total tackles to help beat Northwestern 34-14.
In a 37-9 loss to Ohio State, Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro completed 6 of 13 passes for 94 yards and one touchdown.
Central Michigan quarterback Angel Flores completed seven of his 12 passes for 24 yards in a 63-3 loss to Michigan. Flores also rushed for 76 yards on nine carries. Logan Loya caught one pass for 10 yards in Minnesota’s 27-14 loss to Cal. Coach Dave Aranda’s Baylor Bears dominated the Samford Bulldogs 42-7.
Mendozas double dip again
University of Indiana quarterbacks Fernando and Alberto Mendoza threw touchdowns in the same game for the second week in a row. They combined for eight touchdowns. Fernando Mendoza completed 19 passes for 270 yards with five passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. Alberto threw two touchdowns with 104 passing yards in Indiana’s 73-0 win over Indiana State.
Houston Cougars kicker Ethan Sanchez went 5 of 6 on field goal tries with a long of 52 yards. He contributed 18 points, including three PATs in a 36-20 victory over the Buffaloes. Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata went 2 for 2 on extra points.
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez had seven tackles (two solo) in a dominant 45-14 victory over Oregon State. Gunner Maldonado had two tackles for Kansas State in a 23-17 victory over Arizona. Ralph Ortiz added a tackle for the Wildcats.
Gavin Garcia had 18 carries for 61 yards in Kent State’s 31-28 loss against Buffalo. Joel Cordoba had two tackles for the Flashes. Josue Cordoba added one tackle.
Arizona State kicker Jesus Gomez went 2 for 2 in field goal tries with the longest of 47 yards in the 34-15 victory over Texas State. Tyler Robles made 1 of 2 field goals, including a 39-yarder for Texas State. Jaden Rios had two tackles (one solo).
Wilfredo Aybar had two tackles (one solo) for Stanford in a 30-20 victory over Boston College. Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff added one tackle. Miami linebacker Raul Aguirre Jr. had two tackles in a 49-12 victory over USF.
Tony Rojas sacks Villanova
Tony Rojas led Penn State with two sacks in a 52-6 victory over Villanova. The linebacker also recorded five tackles. Wide receiver Trebor Peña also caught his first touchdown as a Nittany Lion while hauling in four receptions for 60 yards.
Pitt’s Kavir Bains-Marquez had three tackles in a 31-24 loss to West Virginia. Gio Lopez led North Carolina to a 41-6 victory over Richmond. He completed 10 of 18 pass attempts for 119 yards and two touchdowns. He added 40 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on 11 carries.
Air Force kicker Jacob Medina was 1 for 1 in field goal tries. He made a 31 yard field goal in the Falcons’ 49-30 loss against Utah State. Utah State defensive tackle Gabriel Iniguez Jr. had six tackles in the Aggies’ victory over the Falcons.
Senior linebacker Tyler Martinez had seven tackles (two solo) in New Mexico State’s 49-14 loss to Louisiana Tech. Fresno State running back Brandon Ramirez had two carries for six yards in a dominant 56-7 victory over Southern University. Jaden Carillo had three tackles (one solo) for Fresno State.
Western Illinois receiver Christian Anaya had two receptions for 48 yards in the Leatherneck’s 51-30 victory over the Beacons. Fabian Baez also had two receptions for 20 yards. His longest reception was for 13 yards.
Juan Dominguez was 5 for 5 in extra points in the Wildcats’ 55-41 loss against SC State. Central Michigan quarterback Angel H Flores completed seven of 12 passes for 24 yards in Central Michigan’s 63-3 loss against the Wolverines.
Denis Jaquez Jr. had two tackles (one solo) for Syracuse in their dominant 66-24 victory over Colgate.
Xavier Andrade
Xavier Andrade, who played football at Luther College, graduated with degrees in Communications and Political Science. He previously worked in editorial and social media for Hola Cultura, a Latino publication in Washington, D.C. Andrade currently coaches football at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, Calif.
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