CINCINNATI — It's rare to see Trevard Lindley drop one interception, much less two. But the third time proved to be the charm for Kentucky's standout cornerback.
After missing out on a pair of picks in the first half, Lindley stepped in front of a Daniel Raudabaugh pass and took it up the left sideline 25 yards for a score that gave UK a 35-0 lead midway through the third quarter of its 42-0 win over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday.
It could be argued that the first one wasn't really a drop since a teammate flashed in front of him just as the ball approached. But the second went right into Lindley's breadbasket before hitting the ground, and Lindley had nothing but real estate in front of him had he brought it in. Defensive coordinator Steve Brown joked that Lindley will have to spend extra time on the "JUGS" machine, which is normally used by receivers to work on their hands.
"The first one, I really couldn't see it," Lindley said. "The second one, I don't know what happened. Almost the whole team gave me a hard time about it. I knew I had to redeem myself."
Lindley's TD was his 10th career interception, tying him for fourth in school history. He also added two pass breakups, padding his school-record total of 36, which also places him eighth on the all-time Southeastern Conference list.
"Trevard simply, to me, is the best corner in college football," Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks said. "The fact that he's able to make plays on the ball and cover people the way he's able to cover them and also come up and support the run and tackle well, I thought he had a very good game."
Davis out for year
Junior center Marcus Davis had some tough luck in his first career start near his hometown of Union.
Davis suffered a broken bone and dislocated his left ankle when a player fell on him from behind as he blocked upfield late in the first quarter. The injury will force Davis to miss the rest of the season.
The 6-foot-1, 287-pound Davis was starting in place of Jorge Gonzalez, who was suspended for a violation of team rules.
Redshirt freshman Matt Smith replaced Davis and finished the game. Gonzalez will return for the Louisville game on Sept. 19.
"It's a shame for that to happen in his first start," Brooks said. "I thought he was doing some good things in there."
Johnson starts
Senior linebacker Micah Johnson, who was questionable with a foot injury coming into the game, started and played the entire first half. With UK nursing a 21-0 halftime lead, the coaching staff decided to shut Johnson down and get him ready for the Louisville game. Johnson finished with four tackles and a pass breakup.
"I wanted to get out there pretty bad just to get a feel for things," Johnson said. "I didn't want the Louisville game to be my first game, so I felt like it was real important to play."
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Freshmen playing
According to the participation chart issued by UK, five true freshmen saw action on Saturday: cornerback Martavious Neloms, wide receiver LaRod King, tailback Donald Russell, linebacker Ridge Wilson and offensive lineman Larry Warford.
Tydlacka punts well
Sophomore Ryan Tydlacka averaged 44.5 yards on his four punts, with his first two going for 56 and 54 yards.
Victory margin
In addition to posting its first shutout since a 25-0 win over Vanderbilt in 1996, UK delivered its largest margin of victory in a shutout since the Cats beat Kent State 42-0 in 1984.
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