Two Wildcats have been recognized as Northwest Conference Football Student-Athletes of the Week for their hand in No. 5 Linfield’s 45-7 dismantling of Pacific Lutheran this past weekend. The honor was announced Tuesday by the league’s sports information directors.

Nate Dixon was honored as the defensive player of the week. The senior cornerback had two interceptions in the first four minutes that quickly put the momentum in Linfield's favor. His first grab, on PLU's first pass attempt, led to a Wildcat touchdown not even two minutes into the game. Dixon also ran for 15 yards on Linfield's only kickoff return of the day. Overall, the Linfield defense forced four turnovers and five sacks while holding the Lutes to 183 total yards of offense.

Teammate Taylor Skore was recognized for his work with the special-teams unit. He perfectly executed a fake field goal attempt, scoring his first touchdown of the year to give Linfield a 24-0 lead over Pacific Lutheran just before the halftime break. The Wildcats lined up for a 30-yard field goal, but Skore, the holder on the play, instead took the ball 23 yards into the endzone with 31 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The senior cornerback/punt returner also made two tackles.

This is the first weekly conference honor for both Dixon and Score. In total, Linfield has had six different players recognized as players of the week, including four defenders, one offensive player and one member of the special-teams unit.

The Wildcats are ranked No. 5 in the latest national poll with a perfect 6-0 record, including 4-0 in the Northwest Conference.

NEXT: Linfield travels to Atherton, Calif., for a nonconference matchup against Menlo. Kickoff is set for Saturday at noon.