UVA quarterback Bryce Perkins was named the winner of the 2018 Dudley Award as the state’s top Division I collegiate player. The announcement was made at the annual Dudley Award Banquet in Richmond on Wednesday night. The other finalists were cornerback Jimmy Moreland of JMU and defensive lineman Ricky Walker of Virginia Tech.
In addition to winning the Dudley Award, Perkins was honored by the Touchdown Club of Richmond as the state’s Offensive Back of the Year. Also honored by the Touchdown Club of Richmond on Wednesday night were Bryce Hall (Defensive Back of the Year), Chris Peace (Linebacker of the Year), Olamide Zaccheaus (Offensive End of the Year) and Lester Coleman (Co-Humanitarian Award winner).
Perkins is the ninth Cavalier to win the Dudley Award. Previous UVA winners include quarterback Shawn Moore (1990), quarterback Matt Blundin (1991), defensive end Mike Frederick (1994), tailback Tiki Barber (1996), safety Anthony Poindexter (1997), wide receiver Billy McMullen (2001), defensive end Chris Long (2007) and inside linebacker Micah Kiser (2017). With Kiser winning in 2017, UVA has back-to-back winners for the first time since 1990-91 with quarterbacks Shawn Moore and Matt Blundin.
Perkins (Jr., Queen Creek, Va.) is No. 2 in the ACC and No. 16 in the nation with 188 points responsible for. His 3,314 yards of total offense is a UVA single-season record and it currently ranks No. 2 in the ACC and No. 18 in the nation. Perkins and Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray are the only players in the nation with at least 2,400+ passing yards and 800+ rushing yards. Perkins is the only ACC player with at least 20 passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns. Perkins also set a UVA single-season record with 31 touchdowns (22 passing, nine rushing) responsible for. He was clutch on third down passing (65 percent) and rushing, where he averaged 7.6 yards per rush with 15 first downs and four rushing touchdowns. Perkins rushed for 1,032 yards when you adjust for sacks. Perkins also earned honorable mention All-ACC honors.
The Dudley Award is named after former University of Virginia standout “Bullet” Bill Dudley and has been presented annually since 1990 to the player of the year at a state school. Each football-playing school in the Commonwealth is allowed to nominate one player. In 2004, a separate award was created for players at Division II and Division III schools. The Richmond Times-Dispatch sponsors the awards. A panel of 15 voters is used to select the Dudley Award winner.
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Chris Graham
