Two Trojans honored All-Independent

Published 12:00 am Friday, December 7, 2001

Troy State senior running back Demontray Carter and junior safety Rayshun Reed have been selected to the 2001 All-Independent team by College Football News, the online magazine announced on Thursday.

Carter, who earned CFN Independent Player of the Week honors three times this season, finished with a team-best 1,448 all-purpose yards and led the team in scoring with 13 touchdowns. Carter twice eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark, including a 149-yard performance on 23 carries in the Trojans’ 18-16 win over North Texas on Dec. 1. The Pensacola, Fla., native recorded 100 or more all-purpose yards in all but one game this season.

He also tallied 801 yards rushing, 194 yards receiving and 455 yards in kickoff returns in starting all but one game. Carter set career highs in rushing yards (169) against Cal State Northridge and had a career-long 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown a week later against Southern Utah. Against Maryland, he also set a career high for kickoff return yardage (187) on five returns.

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"Rayshun and Demontray are two of the most deserving guys on our team for an honor like this," Troy State head coach Larry Blakeney said. "I think we had some other guys who were as deserving, but with this being our first year in I-A, this is a great tribute to those guys. We are certainly proud of their recognition."

The Trojans, who are in their first season of Division I-A play, finished 7-4 against a schedule that included three Top 10 teams ­ Miami (Fla.), Nebraska and Maryland ­ and seven I-A opponents. Troy State also upset Southeastern Conference for Mississippi State, 21-9, on Oct. 13 ­ a game in which Carter scored two touchdowns and Reed returned an interception 73 yards for another.

Reed, a native of Phenix City, Ala., split time this season between free safety, strong safety and cornerback. Starting every game, he led the team with six interceptions and finished second on the squad with eight passes broken up ­ leading all defensive backs with 57 tackles.

The week after returning his interception return for a touchdown against Mississippi State, Reed added another touchdown return to his tally when he returned a pass 26 yards against Cal State Northridge, becoming the school’s career leader in defensive touchdowns scored with three.

Reed also recorded a career-high 13 tackles against Middle Tennessee on Sept. 8 and recorded at least one pass broken up in the last seven games of the season. He recorded a career-high two interceptions on the Trojans’ win over Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 10.

Carter and Reed were also listed among the CFN’s "Top 30" Independent players, with Carter ranking seventh and Reed 27th.

For a complete list of this year’s CFN All-Independent team, visit the College Football News website at http://www.collegefootballnews.com/ind_nd/2001_AllInd.htm.