By MATT PIKE
The MIAA has announced it's football athletes for week seven, naming Northwest Missouri State quarterback Zechariah Owens Offensive Athlete of the Week.
Owen, a redshirt freshman, accounted for six touchdowns in Northwest's 49-32 win at Central Missouri. He rushed for four touchdowns and threw for two more. The six total touchdowns tied for the second-most touchdowns by a Northwest player in a single game in program history. The six touchdowns accounted for is the single-game high in the MIAA this season.
Owens surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career with a 124-yard effort against the Mules as well. He tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Luke Mathews for 28 yards and seven yards. Owens is one of two NCAA Div. II quarterbacks this season to have rushed for four touchdowns in a game - joining Minnesota-Duluth's Kyle Walljasper. He's also one of two MIAA players overall to have rushed for four scores this season, joining Nebraska-Kearney's Isaiah Harris.
It is the 17th time a Bearcat has scored four or more rushing touchdowns in a single game. Owens is only the third Bearcat quarterback to record four rushing touchdowns in a game. Owens joined Jeremy Wilson who posted four scores against Missouri Western on Sept. 2, 1989, and Tom Kruse who recorded four touchdowns vs. Nebraska-Kearney on Sept. 11, 1989.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.