Montana’s Michael Wortham, Dayton’s Vincent Firenze, North Carolina A&M’s Elijah Kennedy and Mercer’s Braden Atkinson were selected on Monday as the Stats Perform FCS National Players of the Week for Week 9 college football games this past weekend.
 
In addition, the North Dakota State Bison were named the Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week.
 
The weekly honors lead up to the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Show on Jan. 3 in Nashville, Tennessee. The season-ending awards are in their 39th year.


 
Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week
North Dakota State (38-7 win at South Dakota State)
Coach Tim Polasek’s No. 1-ranked Bison retained the Dakota Marker rivalry trophy by ending SDSU’s 33-game home winning streak with the largest win in the series in 33 years. Quarterback Cole Payton gained 380 yards of total offense (243 rushing, 137 rushing) and scored four touchdowns on the ground. Linebacker Donovan Woolen had a career-high nine tackles as NDSU limited the Jackrabbits, who were second-ranked, to their fewest offensive yards against an FCS opponent (166) since 2013.
Honorable Mention: Dayton (35-19 over Presbyterian); UT Rio Grande Valley (56-28 win over UIW); Wagner (24-13 over Duquesne)

The five honorees plus honorable mention selections:
 
Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week
Michael Wortham, Montana, WR/KR, R-Sr., 5-9, 190
The Division I leader in all-purpose yards per game was at it again with 238 more yards plus three touchdowns as Montana won at Sacramento State 49-35 in a highly anticipated Big Sky game. From just outside Sacramento, his homecoming included seven carries for a season-high 89 yards, with touchdowns from 27 and 15 yards out; five receptions for 80 yards, including a 64-yard TD; and 44- and 25-yard kickoff returns. He has 11 TDs from scrimmage this season, averaging 33.0 yards on them.
Honorable Mention: Braden Atkinson, QB, Mercer; Beau Brungard, QB, Youngstown State; Joshua Dye, RB, Southern Utah; Kylon Harris, WR, Stephen F. Austin; Eddie Lee Marburger, QB, UTRGV; Rodney Nelson, RB, Monmouth; Chris Parson, QB, Austin Peay; Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State; Luca Stanzani, QB, LIU
 
Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week
Vincent Firenze, Dayton, S, R-Soph., 6-4, 221
Firenze fueled Dayton’s defensive effort in the Pioneer Football League squad’s 35-19 upset of previously unbeaten Presbyterian. He racked up a career-high 14 tackles, including seven solos, and returned his third interception of the season 20 yards for a touchdown. The Flyers kept PC, which was 19th-ranked, both 22 points and 102 yards below their pregame averages.
Honorable Mention: Sean Allison, LB, Drake; Taylen Blaylock, S, Furman; James Conway, LB, Fordham; Brycen Edwards, LB, Lehigh; David Hoage, DE, West Georgia; Malik McKinzie, DL, Charleston Southern; Tye Niekamp, LB, Illinois State; Kevin Washington Jr., LB, Western Illinois; Johnny Williamson, S, Cornell; Peyton Wing, LB, Montana
 
Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week
Elijah Kennedy, North Carolina A&T, Return/WR, R-Jr., 5-11, 180
Kennedy was show-stopping in the fourth quarter of N.C. A&T’s 28-24 win over Campbell in CAA Football. His 96-yard punt return for a touchdown with 6:12 left to play tied a school record as well as the game at 21-21. After Elon went ahead on a field goal, Kennedy returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 1:29 left. The first Aggie with kickoff and punt return TDs in the same game posted the FCS season high for combined return yards (201) and caught four passes for 27 yards.
Honorable Mention: Brandon Hayes, PR/WR, Southeastern Louisiana; No’Koi Maddox, Coverage, Dartmouth; Noah Pettinger, P, Northern Iowa; Daniel Porto, PK, Florida A&M; David Portu, DL, Charleston Southern; Ben Shrewsbury, P, VMI; Ky Wilson, KR/WR, Youngstown State
 
Stats Perform FCS National Freshman Player of the Week
Braden Atkinson, Mercer, QB, Fr., 6-1, 215
Atkinson passed for 533 yards – just seven shy of the FCS single-game freshman record – in Mercer’s 62-0 rout of VMI in the Southern Conference. He completed 29-of-35 attempts, averaged 60.2 yards on five touchdown passes (with a high of 84 yards) and had a 259.1 pass efficiency rating. Now 6-0 as a starter, Atkinson has earned two selections as the national freshman player of the week.
Honorable Mention: Tony Diaz, WR, UTRGV; Logan Inagawa, QB, Drake; Rashawn Marshall, RB, Maine; Geoffrey McKelton, DB, Alcorn State; Raymond Moore III, QB, Morgan State; Montreze Smith Jr., LB, Austin Peay