Jan. 23, 2010

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A pair of Wildcats will play in postseason all-star games, cornerback Trevard Lindley in the Under Armour Senior Bowl and tailback Alfonso Smith in the Texas vs. the Nation contest.

Lindley is the 30 th Wildcat to accept an invitation to the Senior Bowl, which is in its 61 st year.  This year’s event will be held Sat. Jan. 30 at 4 p.m. EST at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., and will be televised by the NFL Network. 

Lindley started all 48 games in which he played during his Kentucky career.  He totaled 189 tackles, 10 interceptions and a school-record 43 pass breakups during his time as a Wildcat.  Lindley specialized in big plays during his career, as seven of his 10 interceptions were key plays in UK victories and an eighth pickoff helped send a game into overtime.  He had two interception returns for touchdowns during his career and also had a fumble return for a TD in a Wildcat comeback victory.

Texas vs. the Nation, sponsored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is slated for Sat. Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. EST in Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas.  The game will be televised by the CBS College Sports cable channel.

Smith is known for his blazing speed, having run the 40-yard dash in as fast as 4.24 seconds on 2009 Pro Day.  He rushed for 957 yards and eight touchdowns during his Kentucky career and caught 30 passes for 322 yards and two TDs.  Smith also was a stalwart on special teams, making 28 tackles in kick coverage while averaging 22.5 yards on kickoff returns.

Lindley and Smith helped Kentucky to a school-record four-consecutive bowl appearances, including two championships of the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl and a victory in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

Music City Bowl Ninth in Non-BCS Attendance: The Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl ranked ninth in attendance among the 29 non-BCS bowls for the 2009-10 bowl season.  Sparked by a huge turnout of Wildcat fans, the Music City Bowl had a crowd of 57,280 at Nashville’s LP Field.

Five Wildcats Invited to the NFL Combine: Fullback John Conner, linebacker Micah Johnson, cornerback Trevard Lindley, linebacker Sam Maxwell and defensive tackle Corey Peters have been invited to the National Football League Scouting Combine, which will be held Feb. 24 through March 2 in Indianapolis.

15 SEC Players Take Early Entry to NFL: A total of 15 players from Southeastern Conference schools have declared for early entry to the National Football League Draft, giving up their remaining collegiate eligibility.

Here’s the list of early entrants, 11 of whom would have played against Kentucky during the 2010 season: