Family affair for Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza
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Carlos Leon-Trejo, Contributor
- September 8, 2025
Mendoza brothers lead Latino highlights in Week 2 of college football
Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza had a career afternoon. Then it got better late in the Hoosiers’ 56-9 victory over Kennesaw State when his younger brother Alberto Mendoza threw his first collegiate touchdown pass.
The moment transcended the dominant score, which is why the Cuban American brothers from Miami highlight our weekly recap or Latinos in Division I football. For Fernando Mendoza. his brother’s achievement became a shared family milestone now etched into the Hoosiers’ history books.
“That was fantastic seeing (Alberto) go out there and do his thing,” Fernando Mendoza told Josh Sims in a postgame interview. “He’s going to be a great and fantastic quarterback, so it warmed my heart. All the work that we put through the offseason and us being here together is special because we’re working as a partnership to try to get IU as high as we can.”
Fernando Mendoza, a redshirt junior transfer from Cal, completed 18 of his 25 pass attempts. He threw for 245 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. Alberto Mendoza threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Becker for Indiana’s last touchdown.
Rare feat
According to Indiana Athletics, the Mendozas are the first siblings to throw a touchdown pass in the same game for the same team since Arkansas’ Brandon Allen and Austin Allen threw touchdowns against UT Martin on Oct. 31, 2015. Alberto Mendoza was 3 for 3 on pass attempts for 35 yards.
Here’s how how other Latinos performed in Week 2 of the college football season:
LSU kicker Damian Ramos was 3 of 4 on field goal tries with a long of 46 yards. He also added a two PATs in a 23-7 victory over Louisiana Tech. Joenel Aguero had two tackles (one solo) to help Georgia beat Austin Peay 28-6.
San Jose State sophomore receiver Danny Scudero had seven catches for 66 yards against Texas. The Longhorns won 38-7, but Scudero showed that he can compete with the best. Arizona State kicker Jesus Gomez made both field goal tries, including a 51-yarder. He also made his two PATs in the 24-20 loss against Mississippi State.
KC Concepcion adds two more TDs
Wide receiver KC Concepcion had a pair of touchdown catches in Texas A&M’s 44-22 victory over Utah State. The North Carolina State junior transfer made six catches for 73 yards. He also had two punt returns for 18 yards.
Concepcion has scored four touchdowns over the first two games, three on receptions and one on a punt return. He understands that the Aggies will step up in competition on the road against Notre Dame on Sept. 13.
“I feel like the offense, we were clicking better than last week for me,” Concepcion said. “Just getting everybody the ball, getting Terry Bussey his first receiving touchdown. So it was just fun. But also feel like there are things that we can get better at. We’re not perfect. We’re going to get back to the drawing board, and next week is a real test for us.”
Texas A&M freshman defensive end Marco Jones was credited for his first career sack after forcing Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes into an intentional grounding penalty. Jones finished with two tackles, one solo.
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Utah State backup quarterback Anthony Garcia threw a three-yard touchdown pass to running back Miles Davis. Gabriel Iñiguez added one tackles for Utah State.
Kentucky quarterback Zach Calzada completed 15 of 30 pass attempts for 149 yards. He added nine yards on four carries in the 30-23 loss against Ole Miss. Willie Rodriguez added a nine-yard reception for the Wildcats.
Sophomore linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez had four tackles (two solos) in Mizzou’s 42-31 victory over Kansas. Freshman linebacker Elijah Melendez had three tackles, one for a loss, tohelp Auburn beat Ball State 42-3.
UL Monroe quarterback Aidan Armenta completed 8 of 14 pass attempts for 28 yards against Alabama. The sophomore also rushed for four yards on two carries.
Joey Aguilar guides Volunteers
Quarterback Joey Aguilar led Tennessee to a 72-17 win over East Tennessee. He threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns while completing 23 of 11 pass attempts. Diego Pavia led Vanderbilt to a 44-20 victory over Virginia Tech.
Pavia threw for 193 yards with two touchdowns and one interceptions while completing 12 of 18 passing attempts. He also rushed for 61 yards on 11 carries. Alabama tight end Josh Cuevas had two catches for 14 yards in a 73-rout over UL Monroe. He had a 3-yard touchdown catch, helping the Tide bounce back from a week one loss against Florida State.
Oregon safety Peyton Woodyard made the most of his first college interception. He capped the Ducks’ scoring with a 30-yard Pick 6 in the 69-3 victory over Oklahoma State.
Woodyard finished with five tackles (three solo). It was a rough day for Oklahoma State quarterback Zane Flores. The freshman threw a pair of Pick 6 while completing 7 of 19 passes 67 yards yards.
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez had four tackles in a 62-14 victory over Kent State. Bryce Ramirez added a tackle for Tech. Gavin Garcia rushed for 25 yards on 12 carries for Kent State. He also had a 38-yard reception.
Dave Aranda’s Baylor Bears rally
Coach Dave Aranda’s Baylor Bears pulled off a comeback, double overtime 48-45 victory over SMU. Baylor fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter and then trailed 38-24 in the fourth quarter. The Bears rallied to force overtime.
Joel Cordoba had seven tackles (three solo) for Kent State. Josue Cordoba added one tackle. Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata made a 28-yard field goal. He added four PATs in the Buffaloes’ 31-7 victory over Delaware.
Quarterback Parker Navarro led Ohio to a 17-10 victory over West Virginia. He completed 22 of 31 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown. He also threw three interceptions. Navarro also rushed for 87 yards on 18 carries.
Gunner Maldonado had two tackles for Kansas State in a 24-21 loss to Army. Ralph Ortiz added a tackle for the Wildcats. Wilfredo Aybar had two tackles for Stanford in a 27-3 loss against BYU.
Redshirt freshman safety Marquis Gallegos and true freshman edge Trestin Castro each had a tackle for USC in a 59-20 victory over Georgia Southern. UC Davis receiver Carter Vargas had five catches for 43 receiving yards against Washington. Matteo Perez had one receiving yard on two catches for Davis in the 70-10 loss.
Tony Rojas torments FIU
Linebacker Tony Rojas led Penn State with 10 tackles (six solo) as the Nittany Lions defeated FIU 34-0. Rojas and the defense have allowed only 11 points in two weeks. Trebor Peña had two catches for 32 yards.
Western Illinois receiver Christian Anaya threw a 31-yard pass in a 42-7 loss against Northwestern. He also caught the Leathernecks’ only touchdown. Anaya finished with three catches for 17 receiving yards. Fabian Baez also had two kickoff returns for 23 yards.
Miami linebacker Raul Aguirre Jr. had two tackles (one solo) in the 45-3 victory over Bethune Cookman. Juan Dominguez accounted for Bethurne-Cookman’s points with a 32-yard field goa.
A week after upsetting Florida State, Tommy Castellanos guided Florida State to a 77-3 victory over East Texas A&M. He completed 8 of 11 pass attempts for 237 yards and three touchdowns.
Castellanos also rushed for seven yards on four carries. East Texas A&M’s Eric Rodriguez rushed for 24 yards on nine carries. He also threw for 32 yards while completing 3 of 5 pass attempts. Kory Garcia had one tackle in defeat.
Central Michigan quarterback Angel H Flores completed 2 of 3 passes for 10 yards. He also rushed for 18 yards on nine carries in the 45-17 loss against Pitt. Denis Jaquez Jr. had three tackles for Syracuse in a 27-20 overtime victory against UConn.
North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez 17 of 25 pass attempts for 155 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for 44 yards on nine carries in the 20-3 victory over Charlotte.
Jaden Carillo capitalizes on bad punt
Jaden Carillo returned a punt 42 yards for a touchdown to help Fresno State beat Oregon State 36-27. He added two tackles (one solo).
UTSA sophomore receiver David Amador II had two catches for 29 yards in a 43-36 loss against Texas State. Tyler Robles made two field goals, including a 50-yarder for Texas State. He also made five PATs.
Jaden Rios made two tackles for Texas State. Jackson Gutierrez rushed for 14 yards on two carries to help Navy beat UAB 38-24. Linebacker Tyler Martinez led New Mexico State with nine tackles (five solo) in a 21-14 victory over Tulsa. He also defended two passes.
Featured art courtesy of Indiana University Athletics.
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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