October 20th, 2026 7:00am
D2Football.com is pleased to announce the players of the week for week seven of the 2026 season. This week’s honorees are West Liberty running back Hunter Patterson, Emporia State linebacker Jake Tucker and Western Colorado kicker
Offense
Hunter Patterson, RB, West Liberty
Hunter Patterson established multiple program records in West Liberty’s win over West Virginia Wesleyan. Patterson posted 359 yards on 26 carries, eclipsing the school’s single-game rushing record that had stood since 2003. He also added three touchdowns to his career total, which made him the school’s record holder for total touchdowns (52) and total points scored (314) in a career. Patterson scored on rushes of 98, 29 and 50 yards in the game. For the season to date, Patterson is one of four running backs to have gone over 1,000 yards. He is second in the nation in total rushing yards (1,353) and rushing yards per game (193) and tied for third in rushing touchdowns (14). Hunter Patterson is a senior from Chester, West Virginia.
Defense
Jake Tucker, LB, Emporia State
Jake Tucker was a difference maker in his career start for Emporia State’s defense. In a game that was low-scoring for most of the day, Tucker led a defensive effort that limited Central Oklahoma to season lows in rushing yards and held the Bronchos to under 17 points for just the second time this season. Tucker contributed eight total tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss of 19 yards and 1.5 sacks for loss of 15 yards. Early in the third quarter, he forced a fumble that was recovered and returned for a touchdown by a teammate. He also impacted the game on special teams with a blocked punt. Jake Tucker is a sophomore from Tuttle, Oklahoma.
Special Teams
JT Miller, PK, Western Colorado
JT Miller tied an NCAA Division II record for most field goals made in a single game with six. He connected on all six attempts from distances of 19, 43, 20, 30, 47 and 45 yards. He is the first kicker to convert six attempts in the same game since 2017 and first to go 6-for-6 since 2016. He also added three PATs for a total of 21 points scored on the evening. JT Miller is a junior from Rogers, Arkansas.
Week Six
Offense: Christian Kretz, WR, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Defense: Quinton Robinson, DB, Ohio Dominican
Special Teams: Gabriel Ogura, K, East Central
Week Five
Offense: Tavion Faulk, QB, Edward Waters
Defense: McKyle So’oto, LB, UT Permian Basin
Special Teams: Truman Carnin, K, McKendree
Week Four
Offense: Connor Carver, QB, Bemidji State
Defense: Dominic Maultsby, Jr, LB, West Liberty
Special Teams: Jevon Young, DB, Western Colorado
Week Three
Offense: Gunnar Hensley, QB, Augustana
Defense: J.C. Heim, LB, Washburn
Special Teams: Chase Koch, LB, Michigan Tech
Week Two
Izaiah Jean-Baptiste, WR, Edward Waters
Alex Sauve, LB, Shippensburg
Malik Brown, WR / KR, UNC Pembroke
Week One
Offense: Hank Kraft, RB, Northern State
Defense: Legend Doggett, DB, West Alabama
Special Teams: Tristan Hite, P, Chadron State
Week Zero
Offense: Cephus Harris, RB, Davenport
Defense: Carter Daniels, LB, CSU Pueblo
Special teams: Neal May, KR / PR, Augustana