KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Placekicker John Mears of Montana Westrn was named NAIA national special teams player of the week on Monday.
Mears made all five of his kicks in the sixth-ranked Bulldogs' 27-21 victory over No. 12 Montana Tech on Saturday in Dillon. Mears went 3 for 3 on extra-point tries and 2 for 2 on field goals, including a 49-yard attempt that gave Western a 17-7 lead in the third quarter.
The senior from Belgrade later made a 22-yarder to put the Bulldogs ahead 27-21 in the fourth. He was also named the Frontier Conference special teams player of the week.
Mears hasn't missed a kick yet this season; he is 5 for 5 on field goals and 27 for 27 on point-after attempts.
Montana Western (4-1, 2-1 Frontier) travels to play Rocky Mountain College (1-5, 0-4) on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Herb Klindt Field in Billings.
The national offensive player of the week award went to Cumberland (Tenn.) quarterback Luke Holloway while the defensive player of the week honor went to Cumberlands (Ky.) linebacker Adam Caudle.
