Kentucky's secondary tries to limit big plays against Commodores

LEXINGTON, Ky. - It&#39;s an enigma to Marcus McClinton that Kentucky&#39;s secondary unit can be so effective at grabbing interceptions but be so vulnerable at surrendering huge plays.<br> <br> ``I honestly don&#39;t know myself,&#39;&#39; said McClinton, whose three interceptions lead the team. ``We&#39;re good at getting turnovers, but we need to stop them from getting yards.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Andre Woodson has been one of the nation&#39;s best quarterbacks for this season, yet Kentucky&#39;s opponents have nearly 200 more passing yards than the Wildcats. The worst part, say the team&#39;s defensive backs, is that so many of those yards have been surrendered on third down.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s very frustrating,&#39;&#39; said Trevard Lindley, a redshirt freshman who has settled into a starting cornerback role. ``You&#39;re thinking, third and long and next play you&#39;re going to get off the field. Then they get a first down.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Turnovers, both interceptions and fumbles, have helped save the day for the defense in several of Kentucky&#39;s wins this year. The Wildcats rank second in the Southeastern Conference in turnover margin but are dead last in passing defense.<br> <br> Last week against Georgia, the big plays were down and the interceptions continued to flow. But the Bulldogs were starting a turnover-prone freshman quarterback and never established a running game, allowing the secondary to sit back and wait for the passes.<br> <br> Tougher to stop will be Vanderbilt&#39;s Chris Nickson, a versatile quarterback who has thrown for 13 touchdowns and run for seven. But for Kentucky to win the game and become bowl-eligible, the secondary may have to duplicate its Georgia effort.<br> <br> ``We&#39;ve got our work cut out for us,&#39;&#39; coach Rich Brooks said.<br> <br> Defensive coordinator Mike Archer said the pass defense hasn&#39;t played nearly as badly as the rankings indicate. Many of the big plays are a result of young players being a little too aggressive, he said.<br> <br> ``Some of the big yardage plays are guys trying to do too much,&#39;&#39; Archer said. ``We&#39;ve taken some poor angles on balls thrown and we&#39;re going to get an interception, but we take a bad angle and they catch it.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Junior safety Roger Williams said the younger defensive backs are finally starting to learn when to take a chance on a pick and when to just tackle the receiver for a shorter gain.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s not that they&#39;re picking us apart in the secondary,&#39;&#39; Williams said. ``Teams don&#39;t drive us, but we&#39;ll give up 30 yards here or 40 yards there.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> McClinton said he doesn&#39;t even think in terms of a secondary letting down a defensive line, or vice versa.<br> <br> ``I think of it as a defense as a whole,&#39;&#39; he said. ``A lot of times you see someone burning someone in the secondary, but maybe the quarterback had too much time, or maybe someone messed up in man coverage, or maybe someone missed a tackle. Everyone contributes to that.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Archer and Brooks certainly aren&#39;t asking their defensive backs to tone down their aggressive play too much. After all, interceptions have been a key component of the Wildcats&#39; success this year including one by Lindley in the final minute Saturday that clinched the upset against Georgia.<br> <br> Lindley won&#39;t take too much credit for that one, though. He says he just happened to be in the right place at the right time.<br> <br> ``I saw him throw it, then I saw the receiver jump, and when it was in the air I was like, &#39;Oh man, it&#39;s coming to me,&#39;&#39;&#39; he said.

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