Diego Pavia rewrites Vanderbilt record books
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Xavier Andrade,
- December 1, 2025
Diego Pavia earns Our Esquina Player of the Week honors
It’s going to be difficult to keep Diego Pavia and his raucous family out of New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Vanderbilt’s brash quarterback bolstered his Heisman case with a dominant 45-24 victory over rival Tennessee.
Pavia has one of the most impressive resumes in Division I football. The graduate transfer from New Mexico State has lifted Vanderbilt out of perennial underdog status.
As he promised before the season, Diego Pavia beat rival Tennessee to help the Commodores win 10 games in a season for the first time in school history. Vanderbilt’s six SEC victories are also the most in school history.
Diego Pavia was 18-for-28 for 268 passing yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed for 165 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries. With that performance, Pavia is Our Esquina’s Player of the Week for Week 14.
Diego Pavia sets Vandy’s single-season record
Pavia has set Vanderbilt’s new single-season record for passing yards with 3,192. He also has more than 1,500 rushing yards over his two seasons in Nashville. His 17 rushing touchdowns at the school are tied for sixth all-time in school history.
Here’s how other Latinos performed in Week 14: Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar was 29-of-44 for 299 passing yards and one touchdown in the loss. Kentucky tight end Willie Rodriguez had a 15-yard catch in a 41-0 loss to Louisville.
Sophomore Jaxton Santiago helped Yale make history. The tight end from Bakersfield had nine catches for 104 yards to help the Bulldogs pull off a 43-42 victory over Youngstown State in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
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One week after making history as the first Ivy League team to clinch a playoff berth, the Bulldogs overcame a 35-7 halftime deficit with 36 points in the second half to beat the No. 15 seed to become the first Ivy League football team to win a playoff game.
USC sophomore safety Marquis Gallegos had one tackle in the 29-10 victory over UCLA. Anthony Frias II had three carries for eight yards for the Bruins in the loss.
Trebor Peña had four catches for 36 yards to help Penn State beat Rutgers 40-36. He also had a 16-yard punt return. Michigan State sophomore David Santiago had two tackles (one solo) in a 38-28 victory over Maryland.
Fernando Mendoza leads Indiana to Big 10 Championship Game
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy favorite, guided the Hoosiers to a 56-3 victory over Purdue. He completed 8 of 15 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
With the victory, the No. 2-ranked Hoosiers are headed to the Big 10 Championship Game against No. 1 Ohio State. The redshirt junior transfer from Cal added 27 yards and one rushing touchdown on two carries.
Alberto Mendoza, who is Fernando Mendoza’s younger brother, completed his two pass attempts for 76 yards and one touchdown. Alberto added 59 yards on two carries, highlighted by a 58-yard scamper.
Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos was 17-of-28 for 240 passing yards with two touchdowns and one interception in a 40-21 loss to Florida. He also rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
Jahsiah Galvan had two tackles for Stanford in a 49-20 loss to Notre Dame. Wilfredo Aybar added one tackle in the loss.
KC Concepcion bolsters Hornung Award case
Texas A&M receiver KC Concepcion and linebacker Taurean York were two of the Aggies’ best players in the 27-17 loss against rival Texas. Concepion had an eight-yard touchdown run. He also led the Aggies with five catches for 57 yards.
The Hornung Award finalist is the first Aggie to score rushing, receiving and punt-return touchdowns in the same season since at least 1967.
The NC State transfer also had four punt returns for 62 yards, highlighted by a 30-yard return. York had 11 tackles (six solo).
Joenel Aguero had three tackles to help Georgia beat Georgia Tech 16-9. LSU kicker Damian Ramos made both of his field goal attempts with a long of 43 yards. He added one PAT in the 17-13 loss to Oklahoma.
Freshman linebacker Elijah Melendez had one tackle for Auburn in a 27-20 loss to Alabama. Sophomore linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez had five tackles (3 solo) to help Missouri beat Arkansas 31-17.
Raul Aguirre Jr. had one tackle for Miami in a 38-7 victory over Pitt. Kavir Bains-Marquez had four tackles (three solo) for Pitt. Denis Jaquez Jr. had one tackle for Syracuse in a 34-12 loss to Boston College.
Parker Navarro shows versatility
Ohio’s Parker Navarro was a problem for Buffalo’s defense in the Bobcats’ 31-26 victory. The senior quarterback had three touchdowns, two through the air and one via the ground game. He passed for 147 yards and rushed for 121 yards on 18 carries. He also threw an interception.
North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez was 11-of-16 for 118 yards and one touchdown in a 42-19 loss to NC State. Eastern Michigan defensive lineman Hector Gonzalez made two tackles in a 31-21 loss to Western Michigan.
Kent State running back Gavin Garcia rushed for a season-high 151 yards. He had a 26-yard touchdown run in a 35-31 win over NIU. Defensive back Joel Cordoba made two tackles, and defensive lineman Josue Cordoba recorded one tackle for Kent State.
Texas State kicker Tyler Robles made two field goals while going 5 for 5 on extra point attempts. Punter David Nuñez landed one of his two punts inside the 20-yard line in the Bobcats’ win. Wide receiver Jaylan Sanchez had two receptions for 28 yards for James Madison in a 59-10 victory against Coastal Carolina. Kicker Morgan Suarez hit a career-long 47-yard field goal in the win.
FIU tight end Jackson Verdugo had a six-yard reception in a 56-16 win over Sam Houston.
Career-high performances
Quarterback Aidan Armenta and wide receiver Nic Trujillo had career days in UL Monroe’s 30-27 overtime loss to Louisiana. Armenta threw a career-high three passing touchdowns and 311 passing yards. Trujillo had a career-high 133 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Louisiana freshman running back Steven Blanco scored a four-yard rushing touchdown while adding a 29-yard reception. Cornerback Jaden Rios snagged his third interception of the season while adding four tackles in Texas State’s 49-26 win over South Alabama.
Defensive back Zedekiah Rodriguez-Brown recorded two tackles in New Mexico State’s 31-24 loss to Middle Tennessee. UTSA wide receiver David Amador II threw a four-yard touchdown pass and had five receptions for 44 yards in a 27-24 loss to Army.
Colorado’s Alejandro Mata went 2-for-2 in extra points in a 24-14 loss against Kansas State. Kansas State kicker Luis Rodriguez made a 35-yard field goal. He went 3-for-3 in extra points contributing six points in the Wildcats’ victory over the Buffaloes. Kansas State safety Gunner Maldonado recorded six tackles (five solo).
Toledo punter Emilio Duran punted four times for 161 yards with two punts landing inside the 20-yard line in a 21-3 win against Central Michigan. Arizona kicker Michael Salgado-Medina made 3-of-6 field goal attempts in a 23-7 victory over Arizona State. His longest field goal was 49 yards.
Arizona State kicker Jesus Gomez was 1-for-1 in extra points in a . Arizona State receiver Derek Eusebio had two catches for 19 yards.
Jo Chavez sets career high
Rice safety Jo Chavez had a career-high 13 tackles in a 52-3 loss to South Florida. Texas Tech senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez had four tackles (two solo) in the Red Raiders’ 49-0 victory against West Virginia.
Houston kicker Ethan Sanchez hit a 29-yard field goal. He went 4-for-4 in extra points in the Cougars’ 31-24 victory over Baylor. He has scored 98 points this season, tying for 17th on Houston’s single-season scoring list with 20 field goals and 38 PATs.
Sanchez also tied for ninth on Houston’s single-season kick scoring list with 98 points. His 20 field goals are the most by a UH kicker since Dalton Witherspoon kicked 20 in 2019.
Oklahoma State freshman quarterback Zane Flores was 19-for-30 for 166 yards with an interception in a 20-13 loss against Iowa State. Senior kicker Noe Ruelas went 3-for-3 in extra points in the Knights’ 41-21 loss against BYU. San Diego State kicker Gabriel Plascencia made a 44-yard field goal. He went 2-for-2 in extra points in a 23-17 double overtime loss to the Lobos.
Fresno State sophomore running back Brandon Ramirez rushed for 47 yards with a touchdown in a 41-14 victory over San Jose State. Freshman running back Steve Chavez-Soto had nine carries for 50 yards for San Jose State. UNLV kicker Ramon Villela went 6-for-6 in extra points in a 42-17 victory over Nevada.
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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