Abdullah the unquestioned leader of Kentucky's defense

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) Kentucky defensive coordinator Mike Archer has no trouble pinpointing the moment when Muhammad Abdullah became the leader of the Wildcats&#39; defensive unit.<br> <br> The day after an embarrassing 28-16 loss at home to unheralded Ohio last October, head coach Rich Brooks called a team meeting and opened the floor for comments. As a couple of other players spoke, sometimes critically of teammates, Archer saw the normally quiet Abdullah edging toward the front of the room.<br> <br> ``I didn&#39;t know what he was going to do,&#39;&#39; Archer recalled.<br> <br> Archer soon learned. Abdullah took the floor and told his teammates that if they were going to talk like that, they&#39;d better back up those words on the field.<br> <br> ``He showed his emotions and said we need to pick it up,&#39;&#39; senior cornerback Antoine Huffman said of Abdullah. ``That&#39;s exactly what a leader needs to do in a time of need.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Archer called it ``one of the key moments&#39;&#39; in Abdullah&#39;s life. The low-key Abdullah said it was a little bit out of character for him.<br> <br> ``I still don&#39;t say too much now, but that day, I just said what I felt,&#39;&#39; Abdullah said. ``I&#39;m not much of a vocal guy. I watch what I do and try to lead by example.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> That&#39;s why, although such a challenge might have gone ignored had it been issued by a lesser player, Abdullah&#39;s teammates paid attention. Since breaking into the starting lineup as a sophomore, the 6-foot, 205-pound senior from Folkston, Ga., has been arguably Kentucky&#39;s most consistent defensive player. As Brooks puts it, ``Muhammad is going to be Muhammad. He&#39;s a guy you really don&#39;t worry about.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> That level of maturity is unusual in a college player, Archer said. But perhaps it&#39;s understandable, considering Abdullah is a family man, with a wife and two children to take care of. Abdullah&#39;s teammates obviously respect him, having voted him and senior wide receiver Tommy Cook as this season&#39;s team captains.<br> <br> ``I can&#39;t see anyone else being in those positions except those two,&#39;&#39; Huffman said.<br> <br> Abdullah became a starter in 2003, during Brooks&#39; first season as Kentucky&#39;s coach. Abdullah had four interceptions that season, tops among Southeastern Conference free safeties. In a 24-21 loss to Florida, he had an interception, a fumble recovery, a pass breakup and five tackles.<br> <br> Last season, he started at free safety before switching to strong safety for the Wildcats&#39; final three games. He received second-team All-SEC honors after recording three interceptions and 58 tackles, the second-highest total on the team.<br> <br> He&#39;ll start at strong safety Sunday, when the Wildcats host archrival Louisville in the season opener for both teams.<br> <br> ``The bigger the game, he has played very well,&#39;&#39; Archer said. ``When we play big-time competition, he normally shows up.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Although he&#39;s toiled on a team that has finished 4-7 and 2-9 the past two seasons, outsiders have noticed Abdullah. He&#39;s on the preseason watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Award and Jim Thorpe Award, which are given to the nation&#39;s top defensive player and defensive back, respectively. Abdullah appreciates such recognition but said it&#39;s not that big of a deal.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s an honor, but at the same time, I&#39;m not worrying about it,&#39;&#39; he said. ``When I&#39;m on the field, it never crosses my mind. I think about what I&#39;m doing at the time.<br> <br> ``The real honor would be, if in the postseason, I&#39;m an All-American. I think that would show that I did all that I could do for my team.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)