KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced new Football Athlete of the Week awards, presented by FieldTurf, for week four of the 2026 season. Fort Hays State’s AG Floyd was named the Offensive Athlete of the Week, Washburn’s JC Heim was named the Defensive Athlete of the Week, and Nebraska Kearney’s Kaden Kiernan was named the Special Teams Athlete of the Week.

 OFFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  AG Floyd, RB, Fort Hays State
Fort Hays State’s starting running back AG Floyd ran for a season-high and career-high 145 yards in the Tigers’ 42-17 win over Pittsburg State in Hays. The sophomore scored four touchdowns on rushes of 14, 13, nine and five yards, finishing one shy of the FHSU single-game touchdown record. Floyd finished with 148 all-purpose yards, adding a three-yard reception to his 24 carries. The 145 rushing yards were the most by an FHSU player since November 16, 2024, when Shane Watts rushed for 175 against Nebraska-Kearney.
 
 DEFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  JC Heim, LB, Washburn   
JC Heim was everywhere for the Washburn defense in the Ichabods’ 14-10 win over (RV) Central Oklahoma. The junior linebacker finished with 12 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, and the game-sealing interception. Late in the first half, UCO had the ball inside the Ichabod one-yard line. The Bronchos offense ran five plays without scoring a touchdown as Heim collected four tackles in front of Washburn’s goal line to hold the Bronchos to a field goal. In the fourth quarter with 1:54 left to play, Heim's pass break-up on a fourth-down returned possession to the Ichabods at the UCO 48. After an Ichabod punt, the Bronchos took possession with 1:30 to go. Heim picked off a UCO pass at the Washburn 40-yard-line to seal the win for the Ichabods. Heim’s forced fumble came at the Washburn 24-yard line after a sack and fumble returned the ball back to the Ichabods at their own 38-yard line.

 SPECIAL TEAMS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  Kaden Kiernan, K, Nebraska Kearney     
Lopers’ kicker Kaden Kiernan accounted for all of Nebraska Kearney’s points in the 19-9 loss at Emporia. The junior booted field goals of 59, 26 and 25 yards. His 59-yard field goal bests a 39-year-old program record by three yards. Kiernan also averaged 62.0 yards and had two touchbacks on four kickoffs. 
 
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
Zechariah Owens, QB, Northwest Missouri   
Zechariah Owens led the No. 7-ranked Bearcat football team to a 65-3 home victory over Missouri Southern. The Bearcats’ sophomore quarterback rushed for two touchdowns and threw for two touchdowns as he played less than two quarters of action against the Lions. Owens began the game's scoring with a nine-yard touchdown scamper with 10:15 left in the first quarter. He then hit Te'Shaun Porter with an 18-yard touchdown pass with 3:14 remaining in the first quarter to give Northwest a 14-0 advantage. Owens scampered 25 yards on a quarterback scramble for his second rushing touchdown of the game with 10:56 left in the second quarter. He also found Delton Davis for a 16-yard touchdown with 4:37 left in the first half to boost the Bearcat lead to 37-3. Overall, Owens rushed three times for 34 yards and two scores, and finished 9-of-13 passing for 131 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions.
 
Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State   
Landon Boss led a Hornet defense that held Nebraska Kearney without a field goal while scoring two touchdowns himself in Emporia State's 19-9 win over the Lopers. Boss, a senior linebacker, ended up scoring the only touchdowns in the game, starting with his 50-yard scoop-and-score on the Lopers’ first possession of the game. After the defense forced a three-and-out, Boss lined up in the offensive backfield and scored from one yard out to give the Hornets a 16-0 lead less than nine minutes into the game. Boss finished the game with seven tackles, one tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry. His 50-yard fumble return for a touchdown is the longest by a Hornet since Parker Bass had a 74-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown at Central Missouri on October 13, 2018. Boss is the first Emporia State defender to score a touchdown since Kaliel Boyd had a 29-yard pick-six against Washburn last year and the first Hornet to return a fumble for a touchdown since Sage Sieperda returned one 49 yards against Northeastern State on October 5, 2024. It was also the first time Emporia State has held an opponent without a touchdown since a 17-12 win over Angelo State on September 7, 2024, and the first time they have held an MIAA opponent without a touchdown since a 38-0 win over then MIAA member Northeastern State on September 16, 2023.
 
Matthew McBride,     
Matthew McBride recorded two interceptions, four tackles, and a pass breakup in the 25-point win over Pittsburg State in Hays. McBride was the first Tiger to record multiple interceptions in a game since September 14, 2024, when Sam Brandt had two against Northwest Missouri State. McBride helped the Tigers record their first four-interception game as a team since August 31, 2023, when the Tigers had four in a win against Northeastern State. Both of McBride’s interceptions were in the third quarter and were the first two in a string of four straight PSU possessions ending in interceptions.

ALSO NOMINATED:
OFFENSE – Camden Crooks [Emporia State], Nathan Lewis Jr. [Washburn]
DEFENSE – Eli Bertz [Northwest Missouri], Reese Roller [Central Oklahoma]
SPECIAL TEAMS – Everett Grower [Washburn], Brandon McCary [Emporia State], Cooper Warren [Northwest Missouri], Logan Russell [Fort Hays State]
 

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WEEK ONE:
Offensive – Isaiah Tate, QB, Missouri Western
Defensive – Landon Boss, LB, Emporia State
Special Teams – Bradley Theo, 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    
 
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