KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced new Football Athlete of the Week awards, presented by FieldTurf, for week six of the 2026 season. Central Missouri claimed two of the three weekly honors with DJ Brown named the Offensive Athlete of the Week and Colton Brunke-Brown named the Special Teams Athlete of the Week. Emporia State’s Landon Boss also returned as the Defensive Athlete of the Week for the fourth time this season.

 OFFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  DJ Brown, RB, Central Missouri
Mules running back DJ Brown rushed for a game-high 93 yards on 20 carries and posted three rushing touchdowns to help No. 21-ranked Central Missouri to a thrilling 33-31 win over Central Oklahoma last Saturday in Warrensburg. The fifth-year from Leonard, Texas, scored touchdowns on runs of one, four, and 18 yards in the game. He also totaled 61 receiving yards on six catches in the two-point victory. Brown currently leads the MIAA in rushing yards with 495 on 84 carries. He also leads the league with 10 rushing touchdowns on the season.
 
 DEFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State
Landon Boss had a career-high 4.5 tackles for loss in No. 10 Emporia State's 34-22 win over Missouri Western last Saturday in Emporia. The senior linebacker finished the game with nine tackles, a sack, 4.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble as the Hornets held Missouri Western to 17 points under their season average. Boss now has 14.0 tackles-for-loss this season and 32.0 in 16 games as a Hornet, ranking him 11th on the all-time Hornets career chart. He is currently leading Division II football in tackles for loss. He also leads the MIAA and ranks ninth in Division II in forced fumbles and ranks 11th in the Division in total tackles.  

 SPECIAL TEAMS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  Colton Brunke-Brown, K/P, Central Missouri      
Colton Brunke-Brown converted the game-winning 19-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining in No. 21 Central Missouri’s 33-31 win over Central Oklahoma last Saturday in Warrensburg. It was just the second field goal attempt of his UCM career. The senior also converted his inaugural attempt, a 46-yarder, at the 4:57 mark of the fourth quarter. He also finished 2-for-2 in extra point attempts in the victory.
 
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
Isaiah Tate, QB, Missouri Western   
MoWest quarterback Isaiah Tate set a new single-game MWSU record with 494 passing yards in the Griffons' 34-22 road loss to No. 10 Emporia State last Saturday. Tate completed 28-of-55 passes with two touchdowns, including a 57-yard touchdown pass, while accounting for 497 yards of total offense. He led a Griffon offense that amassed 610 total yards and 34 first downs against the nationally ranked Hornets.
 
Jamison Sarver, QB, Emporia State   
Sophomore quarterback Jamison Sarver threw for a career-best 390 yards in the No. 10-ranked Hornets’ 34-22 win over Missouri Western. Sarver finished the game 32-of-49 for 390 yards and two touchdowns. He did not have an interception against the Griffons, who entered the contest leading the MIAA and ranked fourth in Division II in interceptions this season. Sarver became the ninth Emporia State quarterback in the last 13 years to throw for over 300 yards in a game.
 
Marcus Williams, LB, Central Missouri      
Marcus Williams recorded a team-high 10 tackles, including a nine-yard quarterback sack and 1.5 tackles-for-loss for nine yards, in No. 21 Central Missouri’s 33-31 win over Central Oklahoma in Warrensburg on Saturday. The senior also had an interception against the Bronchos.
 
Matthew McBride, CB, Fort Hays State     
Matthew McBride recorded two interceptions in the second half of Fort Hays State’s 31-7 win over Missouri Southern last Saturday in Hays. After the Tigers went up 21-7 in the third quarter, McBride’s first interception stopped a Lion drive in FHSU territory. The stop allowed the Tigers to add another touchdown on the drive following the interception. His second interception was in FHSU territory in the fourth quarter, which helped the Tigers preserve a second-half shutout. McBride added four tackles and three pass breakups to his pair of interceptions for a solid all-around performance in the game.
 
Austin Schmitt, PK, Pittsburg State     
Austin Schmitt booted a pair of field goals, including the game-tying kick with 2:43 remaining in regulation, to help Pittsburg State claim a 34-27 overtime win over Nebraska Kearney last Saturday (Oct. 3) on the road. The senior from Grain Valley, Mo., connected on a 42-yard field goal on Pitt State's opening drive of the game for an early 3-0 lead. He then added the 22-yard kick late in the contest to knot the score at 27-27. Schmitt also converted all four of his PAT tries in the game. His fourth-quarter field goal gave him 47 career makes to establish a new Pitt State career record. He's a perfect 7-for-7 on field goal tries this season.

ALSO NOMINATED:
OFFENSE – LaAngelo Bell [Fort Hays State], Makel Palva [Central Oklahoma], Isaiah Padello [Missouri Southern], Isaiah Harris [Nebraska Kearney]
DEFENSE – Resse Roller [Central Oklahoma], Peyton McKee [Missouri Southern], Broc Worcester [Missouri Western], Blake Carr [Pittsburg State]
SPECIAL TEAMS –  Logan Russell [Fort Hays State], Brandon McCary [Emporia State], Mitchell Cory [Missouri Southern], Latrell Armstrong [Missouri Western]

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WEEK ONE:
Offensive – Isaiah Tate, QB, Missouri Western
Defensive – Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State
Special Teams – Bradley Thao, K, Central Oklahoma   
 
WEEK TWO:
Offensive – Jordan Pachot, QB, Central Missouri
Defensive – Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State
Special Teams – Asher Huffman, K, Missouri Southern    
 
WEEK THREE:
Offensive – Jordan Pachot, QB, Central Missouri
Defensive – Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State
Special Teams – Will Peacock, K, Central Missouri    
 
WEEK FOUR:
Offensive – AG Floyd, RB, Fort Hays State
Defensive – JC Heim, LB, Washburn
Special Teams – Kaden Kiernan, K, Nebraska Kearney    
 
WEEK FIVE:
Offensive – Isaiah Tate, QB, Missouri Western
Defensive – Chris Fitzpatrick, LB, Central Oklahoma
Special Teams – Bradley Thao, K, Central Oklahoma     
 
WEEK SIX:
Offensive – DJ Brown, RB, Central Missouri
Defensive – Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State
Special Teams – Colton Brunke-Brown, K/P, Central Missouri