Carson-Newman's Dudley Named D2Football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week

STORY COURTESY OF CARSON-NEWMAN ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman football return man Leonte Dudley has been named the D2Football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week, the website announced Tuesday afternoon. 

Dudley earns the honor following his record-breaking performance in the Eagles' week-five loss at Catawba. He becomes the eighth individual with Carson-Newman's football program to earn national player of the week honors. 

Dudley (Harvey, Ill.) put himself in the C-N record books by returning two, 100-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns.  They are the fifth and sixth, 100-yard returns in Carson-Newman history.

Dudley also reset the single-game record for Carson-Newman kickoff return yards with 229. He joins Kendall James as the only Eagles to return multiple kicks for a score in a single game.  He is one of 11 in Division II history with multiple kickoff returns for scores in a single game. 

He set an NCAA Division II record for yards per kickoff return with 76.3 besting a 39-year-old mark set by Cal Poly's Clarence Martin in 1982 against Cal Poly Pomona.  The 76.3 yards per return are the second most among all NCAA Divisions. Only Division III's Elijah Rehm of Rowan averaged more per return - 84.7 yds per return against Widener to be exact - on Aug. 30, 2018 (three returns for 254 yds). 

Against Catawba, Dudley also returned four punts for 62 yards with a long of 27 yards. 

He is one of three players nationwide with two kickoff returns for touchdowns this year. His 41.6 yards per return this season ranks second nationally, while his 486 combined kick return yards are fifth in the country. 

Dudley is just the second Carson-Newman player to earn the national special teams player of the week honor.  The Eagles have produced four national defensive players of the week and two offensive players of the week. 

Trayzel Jureidini-Wyche and Rondrow Peebles were lauded with national defensive honors in 2019, Peebles in a week one win over West Florida, Jureidini-Wyche in the Eagles' regular season finale triumph over Tusculum.  

Damian Baker and Justin Long earned honors in 2015. Baker was national offensive player of the week honors for a 249 yard day against Mars Hill that year, while Long was special teams player of the week after blocking two kicks against Newberry.  

Mario Russell earned national defensive player of the week honors from the organization on Sept. 30, 2009 after Russell tied a NCAA Division II record with four forced fumbles in a 23-20 win over Newberry.  He also had eight tackles and five pass breakups. 

Deonte Bolden was the Eagles other national defensive player of the week, honored Oct. 13, 2003, following a school record four interceptions in a 35-18 win for the Eagles over Newberry.  Buck Wakefield is Carson-Newman's other honoree, earning offensive player of the week honors after breaking the school's rushing record with a 303 yard day on only 19 carries and leading the Eagles to a 45-7 win over Wingate in 2009.

Dudley and the rest of the Eagles are in action Saturday against Lenoir-Rhyne at 1 p.m. from Burke-Tarr Stadium. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at noon with the AEC Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.