Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza joins Heisman Trophy race
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Xavier Andrade,
- September 22, 2025
Fernando Mendoza highlights Latino performances in Week 4
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza made one of the biggest statements in college football in Week 4, delivering an early message to Heisman Trophy voters. The redshirt junior from Miami easily passed the Hoosiers’ first test of the 2025 season.
Fernando Mendoza put up a stellar performance against then No. 9 ranked Illinois. He torched the Fighting Illini early and often in the 63-10 win.
The transfer from Cal completed 21 of 23 passes for 267 yards and five touchdowns. Mendoza’s Big Ten debut definitely caught the nation’s attention. Indiana (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) rose from No. 19 in the AP Top 25 poll all the way to No. 11 on Sunday.
“I felt pretty locked in,” Fernando Mendoza said. “I’ve gone into a good routine here where I’m trusting my preparation. I know what’s going to work. I know how it’s going to pay off. And the intentionality that our offense is able to bring to practice was at the next level.”
‘Locked in’
Mendoza has thrown for 975 yards and 14 touchdowns while completing 76 of 99 pass attempts this season. He has added two rushing touchdowns while rushing for 76 yards on 22 carries.
“I thought (Fernando Mendoza) took a major step forward last week and again this week and really had a lot of confidence in him going into the game,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “I think his progress has really accelerated the last couple weeks. And I thought he was right on target.
“And what I really liked about the team is the way they play every play, one play at a time, first play to last play of the game, regardless of the circumstances. To me that’s key to the drill.”
Mendoza led Latino highlights in Week 4 of College Football. Here’s how other Latino performed throughout Division I football.
Arizona State kicker Jesus Gomez walked off Baylor with a 43-yard field goal as time expired. Gomez accounted for 13 points in the 27-24 victory.
He made all four field goal attempts. Gomez hit from 31 yards, 21 yards and 33 yards before the winning field goal.
Tommy Castellanos shines
Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos did it all in a 66-10 victory over Kent State. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 205 yards with one interception. Castellanos also rushed for 54 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries.
Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar was 15 of 22 for 218 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in a rout over UAB. He also rushed for 11 yards on three carries.
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia led the Commodores to a 70-21 victory over Georgia State. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 245 yards and one touchdown. He added 86 rushing yards and one touchdown on nine carries.
Syracuse defensive lineman Denis Jaquez Jr. recorded 3 tackles in a 34-21 win over Clemson. North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez was 11 of 14 on passing attempts for 87 yards and two interceptions in a 34-9 loss to UCF. Joel Cordoba recorded four tackles for Kent State. Gavin Garcia carried the ball 14 times for 40 yards for Golden Flashes.
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Noe Ruelas was 2-for- 2 on field goal attempts with a long of 41 yards and four PATs in the victory over North Carolina. Miami linebacker Raul Aguirre Jr. had one tackle in the 26-7 win over Florida.
Stanford’s Wilfredo Aybar had two tackles against Virginia in a 48-20 loss. Notre Dame defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio had three tackles, including half a sack in a 56-30 victory over Purdue.
Oregon safety Peyton Woodyard had a tackle in a 41-7 victory over Oregon State. Oklahoma State quarterback Zane Flores was 25 of 40 for 214 passing yards in a 19-12 loss to Tulsa. He also rushed for 56 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries.
Jacob Rodriguez can fly
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez had 11 tackles (five solo) and one interception in a 34-10 victory over Utah. Our Esquina’s 2025 Preseason Player of the Year also had half a tackle for a loss.
The interception was Rodriguez’s first of the season and third of his career. Rodriguez also forced a fumble.
Auburn linebacker Elijah Melendez had one tackle in the loss to Oklahoma. Ivan Carreon made a three-yard reception for his first catch of the season for the Sooners. LSU kicker Damian Ramos made eight PATs in a 56-0 victory over Southeast Louisiana.
UC Davis running back Carter Vargas had a career day in their 50-34 win over Southern Utah. The sophomore rushed for a career high 136 yards along with two touchdowns, he also hauled in a 32-yard reception in the victory.
Texas State kicker Tyler Robles went 5-for-5 in extra points in a 35-3 win over Nicholls. Jaylan Sanchez caught four passes for 51 yards in James Madison’s 31-13 win over Liberty.
Aidan Armenta led UL Monroe to a 31-25 road win against UTEP. The sophomore quarterback completed 8 of 14 pass attempts for 136 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried the ball four times for 19 yards.
Nicholas Rodriguez secures for sack
Missouri linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez had his first career sack to help the Tigers beat South Carolina 29-20. The sophomore from Miami finished with five tackles (four solo).
Parker Navarro and Ohio bounced back by beating Gardner-Webb. Navarro passed for 290 yards with one touchdown. He also had nine carries for 72 yards. Bowling Green defensive back Victor Vasquez recovered a fumble in a 40-17 loss to Louisville.
Central Michigan quarterback Angel Flores scored three touchdowns in a 49-10 win against Wagner. The junior quarterback had two rushing touchdowns on nine carries for 31 yards. He also threw a 22-yard touchdown pass.
FIU tight end Jackson Verdugo hauled in two receptions for 24 yards in the Panthers’ 38-16 loss to Delaware. UTSA receiver David Amador II had four receptions in a 17-16 loss to Colorado State.
San Diego State kicker Gabriel Plascencia made 2 of 3 on field goal attempts. He was 4-for-4 on PATs in the Aztecs’ 34-0 shutout against Cal. Jacob Medina made all five of his kicks in Air Force’s 49-37 loss against Boise State. The sophomore from Arizona made one field goal and four PATs.
Braden Ramirez had one carry in Fresno State’s 23-21 win over the University of Hawaii. Senior running back David Cordero recorded one tackle for Hawaii. Danny Scudero was San Jose State’s leading receiver in their 31-28 win over Idaho. The sophomore receiver hauled in six receptions for 130 yards.
Gabriel Iñiguez Jr. had four tackles in Utah State’s rout versus McNeese. Backup quarterback Anthony Garcia carried the ball two times for eight yards and tallied one reception for six yards. McNeese quarterback Alex Flores completed four of his five passes for 41 yards.
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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