The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Three Longhorns to play in 2013 Senior Bowl
01.18.2013 | Football
Jan. 18, 2013
Texas Longhorns senior standouts Alex Okafor (DE), Kenny Vaccaro (S) and Marquise Goodwin (WR) will represent the Texas Longhorns in the 2013 Senior Bowl.
The three Longhorns playing in the game are the most for any Big 12 school, the most of any school in Texas and represent the third-highest total of any Division I program.
The 64th Senior Bowl is set for 3 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, Jan. 26 in Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The game will be televised live by NFL Network. 


Okafor registered an Alamo Bowl-record 4.5 sacks in the Longhorns' 31-27 victory over the Oregon State Beavers on Dec. 29 in San Antonio. In Texas' come from behind win, Okafor tallied eight tackles (5 solo), six tackles for loss and one forced fumble. He was named the game's Most Valuable Player on defense. Texas set a Valero Alamo Bowl record for sacks with 10 against Oregon State, shattering the previous record of five, which is shared by four teams.
Okafor's sack total in the bowl game ranks second on the school's all-time single-game list (5.0 by Shane Dronnet vs. Texas Tech in 1990) and his TFL tally is third (7.0 - Tim Crowder at Rice, 2006; 6.5- Steve McMichael vs. Texas Tech, 1979).
In 2012, Okafor led the team in sacks (12.5), QB pressures (18), forced fumbles (4), and tackles for loss (18). He tallied 68 total tackles (42 solo), and also registered one blocked kick. His sack total ranks No. 7 on the UT all-time single-season list and is most in one year since Kiki DeAyala's school-record 22.5 in 1982.
The Pflugerville, Texas, native is a fourth-year player who appeared in 52 games on the defensive line, including 33 starts (tops on the defense). He had a 32-start streak end due to injury in the 2012 Kansas State game.
He was voted 2012 Team Captain (along with Vaccaro_ at the end of the regular season by his teammates. He earned the Roy Williams-Joe Jamail Leadership Award, shared the team's Clyde Littlefield Most Spirited Defensive Player Award with Desmond Jackson and Vaccaro and also shared the team's Joseph W. Moore Tenacity Award for Defense with Vaccaro
Okafor is a two-time first team All-Big 12 choice (2011-12), the 2012 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year by CBSSports.com and was tabbed the 2012 CFPA Elite Defensive Lineman of the Year. He was named to the 2012 Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Award and Lombardi Award watch lists. He was tabbed 2012 preseason first-team All-America by Athlon, Blue Ribbon and Phil Steele magazines and was a 2011 AFCA FBS Coaches' All-American. Okafor was also a unanimous 2011 first team All-Big 12 selection (Coaches) and was named first team All-Big 12 (AP, Kansas City Star, Fort Worth Star-Telegram) and second team (San Antonio Express-News) that same year.
Okafor is a two-time academic all-district selection and a three-time member of UT's Athletics Director's Honor Roll.
Vaccaro finished with a career and team-high 107 tackles (60 solo) in 2012. He also tallied four tackles for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, four quarterback hurries, five pass break ups and seven passes defensed. He was voted 2012 team captain (along with DE Alex Okafor) at the end of the season by his teammates.
The senior from Brownwood, Texas, was named first-team All-America by Pro Football Weekly, and also earned honorable mention All-America honors from Sports Illustrated.com.
Vaccaro was selected first-team 2012 All-Big 12 by the league's coaches for the second season in a row and was named second-team AP All-Big 12 by a panel of sportswriters who cover the league. Vaccaro was selected first-team AP All-Big 12 in 2011.
Vaccaro appeared in 51 career games with 32 starts where he posted 264 tackles (162 solo), 2 sacks, 16 TFL, five interceptions, 21 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 11 quarterback pressures. He had six career double-digit tackle games and was named to the 2012 Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Award and Thorpe Award watch lists. He was tabbed 2012 preseason first-team All-Big 12 by Athlon, Phil Steele and Lindy's magazines, was chosen to the All-Big 12 first team (coaches), second team (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) and honorable mention (AP) in 2011 and was honorable mention for Defensive Player of the Year (coaches) that same season.
Goodwin was named the Most Valuable Player on offense in the 2012 Valero Alamo Bowl where he had a 64-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and had four receptions for 68 yards, including a 36-yard game winning touchdown.
Goodwin caught 26 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns in 2012. He also rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries and returned 13 kickoffs for 327 yards (25.2 avg).
Goodwin played in 50 games, including 22 starts at wide receiver and ranks 11th on the Texas career receptions list (120) and sixth on the school's career kickoff return yards list (985). He amassed 2,776 all-purpose yards in his career. As a freshman in 2009, he posted 30 receptions (No. 3 on UT's freshman single-season list) for 279 yards and a TD.
The four-time member of UT's Athletics Director's Honor Roll also earned national All-Academic honors from the USTFCCCA.

 Goodwin is also a world-class track and field Olympian who represented the United States in the long jump at the 2012 Summer Games in London. Goodwin won the long jump title at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials (27.0425), the 2012 NCAA Outdoor (27-0) and Indoor (25-04.75) Championships, the 2012 Big 12 Outdoor (26-10.50) and Indoor (25-04.75) Championships, the 2011 U.S. Outdoor Championships (27-4), the 2011 Big 12 Outdoor (26-9.75) and Indoor (26-7) Championships, the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships (26-9), and the 2010 Big 12 Outdoor Championships (26-0.75). He is also a two-time World Junior Champion (long jump, 4x100m) in track and field.
Goodwin was also invited to play in Saturday's NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, but will not take part in that all-star game.
The Senior Bowl is college football's premier senior showcase event, annually featuring the nation's best senior collegiate football stars and top NFL draft prospects on teams coached by NFL coaching staffs.
For more information on the 2013 Senior Bowl please visit the bowl's website at www.seniorbowl.com. 


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