Vanderbilt coach James Franklin, who led the Commodores to their most wins in a season since 1915, and Tennessee-Martin quarterback Derek Carr, who threw for 3,276 yards and 31 touchdowns, were named the TSWA College Football Coach and Player of the Year, respectively, in a vote by TSWA members.
Franklin was a runaway winner for the honor, with MTSU’s Rick Stockstill being a distant second in the voting of TSWA members. The Player of the Year wasn’t as defined, with Carr finishing ahead of a handful of players in the voting.
In Franklin’s second year as coach, Vanderbilt closed with a seven-game winning streak, including a 38-24 win over North Carolina State in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. The Commodores finished 9-4, the most wins in a season since 1915.
Vanderbilt was 5-3 in the SEC with conference wins over Tennessee, Auburn, Missouri, Kentucky and Ole Miss. The Commodores’ four losses were to teams ranked in the final polls.
Vanderbilt was ranked in both of the season’s final polls; No. 20 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll and No. 23 in the Associated Press Poll.
Carr, a 6-foot-1 senior from McKenzie, had a completion percentage of 63.6 percent (264 of 415), while throwing only eight interceptions. He was a second-team All-OVC selection and guided the Skyhawks to an 8-3 overall record and 6-2 conference record.
Carr was part of two of the OVC’s most memorable games. He completed 42 of 46 passes for 560 yards and seven touchdowns in a 66-59 win over Murray State.
Against Jacksonville State, Carr completed 28 of 43 passes for 402 yards and seven touchdowns.
Carr played in the 2012 FCS Senior Bowl and leaves Martin with five career records.
(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)