NC State’s Popo Aguirre earns Latino Player of the Week honors
Popo Aguirre racks up 16 tackles
Despite NC State’s struggles this year, linebacker Popo Aguirre arrived at Carter-Finley Stadium with plenty of optimism Saturday as the Wolfpack prepared to face Cal. The senior transfer didn’t let his confidence waver when the score was tied at halftime.
He merely stacked up tackle after tackle on his side of the ball. Then he watched the Wolfpack’s offense take control with 21 unanswered points in the second half to secure the victory for interim head coach Todd Goebbel in his debut.
Aguirre, who spent his first three season at Miami, was a major reason NC State won its first game after the school made a coaching change. Popo Aguirre had a game-high 16 tackles, raising his total to 76 tackles. Only UNC’s Derek McDonald has more tackles in the ACC than Aguirre.
One day at a time for Popo Aguirre
“It’s one day at a time, a one-day-at-a-time mentality,” Aguirre told the NC State media. “Before we stepped on the field, we had the mindset that we had already won the game. We executed, we felt good, we played for each other. We had each other’s backs no matter what happened (and) we stuck together and got the win.”
For his efforts, Popo Aguirre is Our Esquina’s Latino Player of the Week for Week 9. Here’s how the other Latinos in Division I football performed in Week 9. If we missed a player who identifies as Latino, please email CarlosLeon@OurEsquina.com.
Thomas Castellanos put his dual-threat ability on display in Texas Tech’s 34-26 win over Arizona. The quarterback threw for 144 yards and two touchdowns. He added 117 rushing yards and an 8-yard touchdown run on 19 carries.
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Arizona kicker Michael Salgado-Medina made both of his field goal attempts in the Wildcats’ loss. Kansas State kicker Luis Rodriguez made a 25-yard field goal in a 27-24 loss to Colorado. Defensive end David Santiago made three tackles for Kansas in a 22-16 loss to TCU.
Kent State defensive lineman Josue Cordoba recorded six tackles and recovered a fumble while cornerback Joel Cordoba made five tackles in a 31-10 loss to Sacramento State.
Wake Forest duo shines again
Wake Forest’s Gio Lopez threw for 229 yards and a touchdown. Carlos Hernandez had eight receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown in the Demon Deacons’ dominant 51-7 victory over Virginia.
UCLA defensive back Mason Rivera made two tackles in a 27-0 victory against Nevada. Sophomore defensive back Alexander Perez recorded two tackles for Air Force in a 35-26 win over UConn. Cornerback Jahmir Torres recorded three tackles in New Mexico’s 21-16 win over San Jose State.
UNLV kicker Ramon Villela made a 20-yard field goal and all four of his PATs in a 31-24 win against Northern Illinois. Freshman wide receiver Josh Rodriguez had a career-high 143 receiving yards on nine receptions in Old Dominion’s 36-23 loss to Marshall.
UL Monroe wide receiver Nic Trujillo caught a 2-yard touchdown pass in a 35-21 loss to Southern Miss. Utah State receiver Anthony Garcia threw a 44-yard pass in a 31-14 victory over Colorado State. He also had 11 catches for 121 yards.
Nine more for Nicholas Rodriguez
Missouri linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez had nine tackles and a forced fumble in the Tigers’ 34-10 victory against Arkansas. Auburn linebacker Elijah Melendez had six tackles in a 45-15 loss to Ole Miss.
Safety Joenel Aguero made three tackles while Ole Miss senior Jonathan Maldonado made two tackles in the Rebels’ dominant victory over Auburn. Iowa receiver Tony Diaz had four receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown in Iowa’s 30-0 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers.
Oregon safety Peyton Woodyard had three tackles in the Ducks’ 34-26 victory against Northwestern. Penn State’s Tony Rojas had two tackles in the Nittany Lions’ 31-17 victory against Purdue. Ohio State’s Devin Sanchez had one tackle in a 30-18 loss against USC. Stanford’s Jahsiah Galvan had six tackles in a 52-24 loss against Louisville. Georgia Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza completed 16 of 25 passes for 81 yards.
San Diego State’s Nathan Acavedo had two catches for 11 yards in a 26-20 victory over Washington State. Oregon State kicker Caleb Ojeda made three field goals, highlighted by a 54-yarder, in a 38-22 loss to Fresno State. Ojeda also made a PAT. Fresno State punter Nick Verdugo averaged 43.7 yards per punt over his three punts, highlighted by a 49-yard punt.
Curly Ordonez tackles away
Linebacker Curly Ordonez had 14 tackles for Temple in the loss. Receiver JoJo Bermudez had three catches for 48 yards and a 33-yard punt return for the Owls in the loss. JaMair Diaz added two tackles for the Owls in the loss.
FSU’s Jasen Lopez had four receptions for 56 yards in a 36-24 loss against Clemson. Navy’s Jackson Gutierrez ran for 110 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries in a 35-13 loss to Notre Dame. Kicker Noah Perez made a 20-yard field goal and two PATs for East Carolina in a 17-9 victory over Temple.
Yale tight end Jaxton Santiago had two catches for 16 yards in a 26-8 victory over Columbia. He also had three punt returns for 22 yards with a long of 12 yards. Princeton’s Esteban Nunez Perez had three PATs in a 21-20 victory over Cornell.
Harvard’s Jacinto Lopez had three tackles and half a sack in a 24-14 loss against Dartmouth. Brown tight end Jadon Garza-Pender had four catches for 48 receiving yards in a 36-17 victory over U Penn. Luca Lopez had two tackles for the Quakers in the loss.
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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