Virginia Beach, VA -- (Sports Network) - South Carolina State running back Will Ford was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Offensive Player of the Year and Morgan State's Jarrell Guyton earned the Defensive Player of the Year honor, as voted by the MEAC head football coaches and sports information directors.

Willie Carter of Howard earned the Rookie of the Year award and South Carolina States Raymond Harrison was selected as the Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Coach of the Year honors went to South Carolina State head coach Buddy Pough who led the Bulldogs to their first playoff berth in 26 years. Under Poughs guidance, the Bulldogs finished the season with a 10-3 overall mark and clinched the MEAC title with an unblemished 8-0 conference record. The Bulldogs ranked in the top 10 of three FCS statistical categories including tackles for loss (4th), sacks allowed (6th), and scoring defense (9th).

Ford led the MEAC in rushing with 1,499 yards and was tied for third in the conference in scoring (78 points). He carried the ball 246 times for an average of 115.3 yards and accounted for 13 touchdowns. Ford, a junior from Travelers Rest, S.C., is just 1,009 yards away from becoming the MEAC's all- time leading rusher. The Preseason Player of the Year honoree, he received the Rookie of the Year award in 2006 and was recently named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award.

Guyton earned the MEAC's Defensive Player of the Year honor after leading one of the most dominating defensive units in the FCS. For the second year in a row the Morgan State Bears led the FCS in total defense giving up less than 213.4 yards per game. Guyton collected 35 solo and 35 unassisted tackles for the Bears this season. He put up numbers in almost every defensive statistical category including 70 total tackles, 13 tackles for a loss of 41 yards, four sacks for a 22 yard loss, one interception for a 22 yards return, three broken up passes, one hurry, and one forced and recovered fumble.

Carter was a key offensive threat for the Howard Bison this season before being sideline with an injury. In just six games of play, he earned two Rookie of the Week honors and caught 44 passes for 477 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 10.8 yards per catch and was instrumental in Howard's pass offense that finished second in the MEAC averaging 218.5 yards.

Harrison was a key performer in one of the most dominating offensive attacks in the MEAC this season. The Bulldogs' third consecutive Lineman of the Year, Harrison aided SCSUs offense to 4,972 yards of total offense including 2,651 yards on the ground. With Harrison at the lead the Bulldogs posted the league's top rusher in running back Ford. Harrison earned Offensive Lineman of the Week honors two times this season.

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE: QB -- Curtis Pulley, Florida A&M; RB -- Will Ford, South Carolina State; RB -- Devan James, Morgan State; TE -- Octavius Darby, South Carolina State; WR -- Justin Brown, Hampton; WR -- Kevin Elliott, Florida A&M; OL -- Robert Okeafor, Florida A&M; OL -- Dwayne Delaney, Morgan State; OL -- Johnny Culbreath, South Carolina State; OL -- Dennis Conley, Hampton; C -- Raymond Harrison, South Carolina State.

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE: DL -- Justin Lawrence, Morgan State; DL -- Cedric Lloyd, South Carolina State; DL -- Chris Baker, Hampton; DL -- Dennis Marsh, Norfolk State; LB -- Jarrell Guyton, Morgan State; LB -- Travis Roland, Bethune-Cookman; LB -- Endor Cooper, Howard; DB -- Terrell Whitehead, Norfolk State; DB -- Markee Hamlin, South Carolina State; DB -- Chris Williams, Morgan State; DB -- Darren McKhan, Morgan State; P -- Jahmal Blanchard, Hampton; PK -- Justin Castellat, Norfolk State; RS -- LeRoy Vann, Florida A&M.

(Courtesy of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Media Relations)