OGDEN, Utah – Northern Arizona defensive lineman Kyle Rath and Northern Colorado's Max Hewitt were selected as the Co-Defensive Players of the Week and NAU kicker/punter Robbie Dehaze was chosen as Special Teams Player of the Week. Dehaze won the honor for the second consecutive week, fourth time this season and sixth time in his career.

Rath, a 6-4, 271-pound sophomore from Las Vegas, Nev., recorded three sacks, two hurries, a pass breakup and six total tackles in Northern Arizona's 37-17 win over Portland State. Rath led a defense that forced three turnovers, recorded 10 sacks and held Portland State to negative 14 yards rushing. NAU leads the nation in rushing defense and sacks per game.

Rath shared the award with Hewitt, a 6-2, 205-pound safety from Aurora, Colo. He recorded five tackles and intercepted two passes as Northern Colorado earned its first victory of the season with a 29-9 win over Idaho State. Hewitt's second interception of the day occurred at the 1-yard line, saving an Idaho State score. Hewitt also broke up a pass. The Bears' defense limited Idaho State to 262 yards of offense and intercepted four passes.

Dehaze, a 6-3, 193-pound senior from Sherwood, Ore., averaged 45.2 yards per punt, made three field goals and four extra points in NAU's win over Portland State. Dehaze placed three of his punts inside the Portland State 20-yard line, and nailed a 57-yarder. His field goals came from 26, 24 and 36 yards. Dehaze became the school's all-time leader in field goals with 51.

The Big Sky Conference also selected Weber State quarterback Cameron Higgins as the Offensive Player of the Week.

NAU stayed the same in the national polls despite a 37-17 victory over Portland State on Saturday. NAU improved to 5-1 on the season with a Big Sky-leading 3-0 conference mark. The Lumberjacks are still No. 18 in the FCS Coaches Poll and No. 17 in The Sports Network FCS Poll.

NAU sits atop the Big Sky Conference standings as one of two undefeated in league play. NAU leads the conference in eight statistical categories after six games: rushing offense, total offense, rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, total defense, scoring defense, turnover margin and sacks. The Lumberjacks rank among the top 10 in the nation in six categories: first in the FCS in rushing defense and sacks, third in net punting, sixth in turnover margin, eighth in total offense and ninth in scoring defense.

The Sports Network (10/13)
Team (First-place votes) Pts
1. James Madison (105) 2,649
2. Appalachian State (1) 2,507
3. Elon 2,151
4. Wofford 2,082
5. Cal Poly 2,037
6. Northern Iowa 1,884
7. Villanova 1,876
8. Montana 1,804
9. Richmond 1,608
10. Massachusetts 1,497
11. New Hampshire 1,458
12. McNeese State 1,440
13. Central Arkansas 1,291
14. Liberty 1,152
15. Western Illinois 1,054
16. Southern Illinois 1,034
17. Northern Arizona 932
18. Weber State 771
19. Furman 744
20. North Dakota State 645
21. South Dakota State 348
22. Tennessee State 333
23. Jacksonville State 265
24. The Citadel 184
25. Hampton 173

FCS Coaches Poll (10/13)
Team (First-place votes) Pts
1. James Madison (28) 700
2. Appalachian State 664
3. Cal Poly 599
4. Northern Iowa 589
5. Montana 548
6. Wofford 526
7. Massachusetts 494
8. Elon 457
9. Richmond 453
10. Villanova 430
11. New Hampshire 420
12. McNeese State 396
13. Central Arkansas 385
14. Southern Illinois 316
15. Liberty 302
16. North Dakota State 287
17. Western Illinois 284
18. Northern Arizona 281
19. Furman 200
20. Weber State 166
21. Tennessee State 130
22. South Dakota State 87
23. Jacksonville State 69
24. Hampton 58
25. Georgia Southern 27