Dudek Scores 5 Times to Pass Payton and Tie Montgomery

Joe Dudek ran 58 yards for a touchdown Saturday to break Walter Payton’s NCAA record for rushing touchdowns and scored four other times to lead Plymouth State to a 35-15 win over Bridgewater.

Dudek, who rushed for 274 yards, also tied Wilbert Montgomery’s overall collegiate record of 70 touchdowns, set at Abilene Christian, which plays in the NAIA. Montgomery now plays for the Detroit Lions.

Dudek scored a career-high five touchdowns on runs of 16, 58, 10, 35 and 32 yards. He also became one of only seven players in NCAA history to rush for more than 5,000 career yards. He finished the game with 5,001.

“I knew the 58-yard TD run might work for a long gainer, but I didn’t think it would go all the way,” Dudek said. “It really turned the game around for me. Certainly, it was the biggest moment of my life. I wanted to get the record on a long gainer to show people the way I could go.”

The Panthers took a 7-0 lead two minutes into the game when Dudek broke two tackles and sped off right tackle to tie the NCAA record of 66 set by Payton, now of the Chicago Bears, when he was at Jackson State. Dudek later broke four tackles on the record-setting touchdown run with 4:35 left in the first quarter.