Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia bolsters Heisman Trophy resume
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Xavier Andrade,
- September 29, 2025
Diego Pavia accounts for six touchdowns
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia accomplished so much against Utah State, it’s almost impossible to determine which feat was most impressive. Was it his school-record tying five passing touchdown passes or four touchdowns in the first half?
Was it his 400 yards of total offense? Or how about six combined touchdowns? Better yet, Vanderbilt has scored at least 50 points in consecutive games for the first time since 1915. Diego Pavia had a career night while guiding the Commodores to a 55-35 victory, highlighting Latino performances in Week 5 of College Football.
With three touchdown passes and a six-yard touchdown run, Diego Pavia accounted for four touchdowns in the first half. According to Vanderbilt, Pavia is the only quarterback in school history to account for four touchdowns in a half against an FBS school since at least 1996.
He threw for 321 yards and a career-high five touchdowns with a career-high 26 pass completions and one interception in 34 attempts. Pavia also ran for 79 yards and one touchdown on nine carries.
Elite company
Pavia became just the fourth Vanderbilt quarterback and first since Johnny McCrary in 2014 to throw five touchdowns in a game.
Pavia and the Commodores will have their biggest test of the season on Saturday when they visit Alabama. A year after upsetting the Crimson Tide, Pavia will now visit Tuscaloosa. Alabama tight end Josh Cuevas will be waiting for him.
Here’s how other Latinos performed in Week 1 of FBS football.
Cuevas had two catches for 24 yards to help the Tide beat Georgia 24-21. Georgia Joenel Aguero had four tackles in the loss. LSU kicker Damian Ramos was 2 for 2 on field goal attempts with a long of 48 yards in the 24-19 loss to Ole Miss.
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Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar guided Tennessee to a 41-34 overtime victory. Aguilar threw for 335 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions while completing 24 of 40 passes. He also ran for 21 yards and one touchdown on seven carries.
Backup Utah State quarterback Anthony Garcia completed one 15-yard pass. Gabriel Iniguez had two tackles in the loss. Missouri linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez had two tackles in the 42-6 rout over UMass.
Notre Dame defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio had two tackles in a 56-13 rout over Arkansas. Kentucky tight end Willie Rodriguez had two catches for 66 yards in a 35-12 loss to South Carolina. Rodriguez’s 53-yard reception was one of Kentucky’s biggest highlights.
KC Concepcion shines
Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion had a game-high 113 receiving yards on seven catches to help the Aggies beat Auburn 16-10. He also had three punt returns for 30 yards. Auburn freshman linebacker Elijah Melendez had four tackles (two solo) in the loss.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza guided the Hoosiers over Iowa 20-15. Mendoza completed 13 of 23 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. He also rushed for 26 yards on eight carries.
Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas had seven tackles in a 30-24 loss to Oregon. Receiver Trebor Peña had three catches for 22 yards for the Nittany Lions.
Logan Loya had four catches for 27 yards to help Minnesota beat Rutgers 31-28. UCLA receiver Rico Flores Jr. had four catches for 43 yards in a 17-14 loss to Northwestern. Anthony Frias II had three kickoff returns for 46 yards.
Freshman defensive back Devin Sanchez had one tackle in Ohio State’s 24-6 victory over Washington. Arizona State kicker Jesus Gomez hit a game-winning field goal late for the second week in a row. He nailed a 27-yard field goal with 1:14 to play to beat TCU 27-24. Gomez was 2 of 4 on field goal tries.
Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos connected 18 of 32 pass attempts for 254 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in an upset loss against Virginia.
Ethan Sanchez walks off Oregon State
Houston kicker Ethan Sanchez walked off Oregon State with a 24-yard field goal in overtime. He was 2 of 2 on field goal attempts with three PATs. Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata made three PATs a 24-21 loss to BYU.
Baylor coach Dave Aranda’s Bears defeated Oklahoma State 45-27. Oklahoma State quarterback Zane Flores threw for 232 yards and had six rushes for 25 yards in the loss.
Kansas State safety Gunner Maldonado recorded three tackles and his first interception in a Wildcat uniform in a 34-20 victory over UCF. Kicker Luis Rodriguez contributed with field goals from 48 and 38 yards out while also going 2 for 2 on extra points in their win.
While hauling in 135 receiving yards in a 29-30 loss to Stanford, San Jose State wide receiver Danny Scudero achieved career highs for receptions (11) and receiving touchdowns (two). Scudero has reached the 100-yard receiving mark three times already this season.
Defensive Lineman Denis Jaquez Jr. logged three tackles along with his first sack of the season for Syracuse in a 38-3 loss to Duke. Wake Forest receiver Carlos Hernandez caught one pass for 15 yards in a 30-29 loss to Georgia Tech.
Pitt’s Kavir Bains-Marquez had seven tackles and one pass deflection in a 34-27 loss to Louisville. Toledo punter Emilio Duran averaged 47 yards per punt on three punts in a 45-3 win against Akron.
Parker Navarro goes off
Quarterback Parker Navarro showed up big for Ohio. He scored four touchdowns in a 35-20 win against Bowling Green. He passed for 208 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Navarro also carried the ball 11 times for 66 yards while reaching the endzone twice on the ground.
Angel Flores was Central Michigan’s main ball carrier in a 24-13 over Eastern Michigan. He had only two pass attempts with one going for a touchdown. He also carried the ball 22 times for 134 yards.
San Diego State kicker Daniel Plascencia’s 25 yard field goal as time expired helped deliver a 6-3 win over Northern Illinois. Plascencia also connected from 30 yards. Air Force kicker Jacob Medina went 5 for 5 on extra points in a 44-35 loss to Hawaii.
New Mexico State linebacker Tyler Martinez recorded three tackles in a 38-20 loss to New Mexico. UL Monroe quarterback Aidan Armenta completed 16 of 25 passe attempts for 175 yards and two touchdowns and one interception in a 28-16 win against Arkansas State. Aaron Blancas caught a six-yard pass for Arkansas State in the loss.
James Madison wide receiver Jaylin Sanchez caught a five-yard pass in a 35-10 win over Georgia Southern. In a 34-12 win over Weber State, UC Davis running back Carter Vargas carried the ball eight times for 55 yards. He also had two receptions for 60 yards and one touchdown.
Danny Ortega had a 12-yard reception for Central Connecticut in a 35-28 loss to Dartmouth. Columbia quarterback Caleb Sanchez completed 2 of 3 pass attempts for six yards off the bench in a 19-10 victory over Georgetown. He also had a five-yard carry.
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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