6 Cats make all-star games

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Staff report | @KyKernelSports

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Six seniors from the 2012 UK football team have accepted invites to appear in postseason all-star games.

The six join defensive end Taylor Wyndham, after his appearance in the Casino Del Sol game on Jan. 11.

Offensive lineman Larry Warford and kicker Craig McIntosh lead the way with selections to the Senior Bowl and NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

Warford’s selection comes on the back of a season in which he led the Cats in knockdown blocks with 48 and was named a third-team All-American.

He will become the first player from UK to appear in the Senior Bowl since Derrick Locke appeared in the 2010 game.

McIntosh was UK’s highest points scorer in 2012, going 8-of-15 in field goals on his way to 51 points.

His longest kick on the season was a 47-yard effort in the 47-14 win over Kent State at Commonwealth Stadium on Sept. 8.

Wide receiver La’Rod King, offensive lineman Matt Smith, defensive lineman Collins Ukwu and defensive back Martavius Neloms will participate in the Texas vs The Nation game.

The game features a team comprising players who are either from the Lone Star State or who played college football in Texas, against the best-of-the-rest from around the country.

King caught 48 passes for 488 yards in 2012, scoring four touchdowns in 12 games.

Ukwu appeared in 11 games during Joker Phillips’ final season as UK head coach, making 41 tackles with four sacks. Ukwu and 6-foot-4 center Smith served as team captains for Phillips throughout the season.

Neloms made 53 tackles in 10 games, with one interception.

All four former Cats will appear in the game at Eagle Stadium in Allen, Texas, on Feb. 2, with the action being broadcast live by Fox Sports.

McIntosh’s appearance in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl comes on Jan. 19 and will be televised by ESPN2 live from the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

The Senior Bowl, Warford’s final game as a college player, takes place at Ladd-Pebbles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 26.

The game will be shown live on the NFL Network.