Courtesy: Army Athletic Communications http://www.goarmysports.com Josh McNary was one of five Army defenders named first-team All-Independent.

CLEVELAND, Ohio  – Fifteen members of the Army football team have been chosen to Phil Steele’s College Football Preview All-Independent Team. The Black Knights had seven first-team selections, including five on defense, one on offense and one on special teams.

Offensively, Army’s lone first-team selection was junior OG Seth Reed. Reed has started all 11 games this season and has been a key member of the 14th-ranked rushing attack in the nation at 212.09 yards per game. Army also ranks fifth in the nation, allowing only 0.82 sacks per game.

The Black Knights are represented on the first team of each defensive unit, including linemen Josh McNary and Victor Ugenyi, linebacker Stephen Anderson, and defensive backs Mario Hill and Donovan Travis.

McNary, a junior, has been one of the top playmakers in the nation this season. He ranks third in the nation with 1.14 sacks per game and holds the Academy record with 12.5 quarterback takedowns. McNary is second in the country with 2.05 tackles for loss per game. His 22.5 stops behind the line is only a half tackle shy of the Army single-season record.

Ugenyi, Army’s defensive captain, has started all 11 games at defensive tackle after playing defensive end during his first three seasons. The senior has 35 total tackles, including 8.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.

Anderson is Army’s leading tackler despite missing the last two games with a season-ending knee injury. The junior co-captain racked up 83 tackles, including 9.0 for loss, before being injured at Air Force on Nov. 7.

Hill has started 23 straight games at cornerback, the longest such streak in the Army secondary. Through 11 games, the senior has totaled 27 tackles, two interceptions and a team-leading six pass breakups. 

Junior FS Donovan Travis is the other member of the Black Knights’ secondary to earn first-team honors. Travis has started all 11 games and is the leading tackler in the Army secondary with 68 stops, including 2.0 for loss. He leads the team with four interceptions.

Sophomore K Alex Carlton headlines the Army special teams’ selections. Carlton is 17 for 21 on field goal tries and 13 for 13 on PATs since taking over the placekicking duties against Duke. Carlton’s 17 field goals rank second on the Army single-season list and are ninth on the Army career field goal ledger. He ranks fifth in the nation with 1.71 field goals per game.

Army’s offense had five second-team selections. Junior SB Pat Mealy is Army’s second-leading rusher with 625 yards. He leads the team with a 6.4 yards-per-carry average and ranks second on the squad with three rushing scores.

Both of the Black Knights’ starting receivers earned second-team accolades. Senior Alejandro Villanueva leads the receiving corps with 29 catches for 460 yards and has been accounted for all five of Army’s passing touchdowns. Senior Damion Hunter has caught 25 passes for 159 yards. Hunter was also chosen as the second-team kick returner. He has returned 36 kicks for 712 yards through the first 11 games.

Army had two second-team choices along the offensive line. Junior C Zach Peterson and senior OT Jason Johnson have both started all 11 games.

Defensively, junior DT Mike Gann and sophomore LB Andrew Rodriguez earned second-team accolades. Gann has made 30 total tackles, including 6.0 behind the line of scrimmage. Rodriguez is Army’s second-leading tackler with 70 stops. He has two interceptions, three pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.

In addition to Hunter, junior P Jonathan Bulls was singled out as a second-team selection on special teams. Bulls has punted 66 times, putting 23 of them inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. He is averaging 39.4 yards per kick, including four of more than 50 yards.

Army wraps up the regular season on Saturday versus arch-rival Navy. Kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field is set for 2:30 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally by CBS. The Black Knights are 5-6 heading into the annual showdown, and a victory over the Mids would secure Army a spot in the 2009 EagleBank Bowl against Temple.