Tennessee freshman linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. returns an interception during last week's game at Kentucky.KNOXVILLE - Darrin Kirkland Jr. made an excellent read and had an even better reaction to nab the first interception of his career in Tennessee's win at Kentucky last week.
It still wasn't enough to impress his mother, Stephanie.
"My mom is my biggest critic," the freshman linebacker said Wednesday. "She said I shouldn't have gotten caught by a quarterback. I have to put more speed on, I guess. I knew it was the first thing she was going to say. She's like, 'Why'd you get caught? You should have scored.' I was like, 'I don't know, I was pretty tired.'"
The interception was a veteran play from the former four-star recruit and the latest evidence that Kirkland has a very bright future ahead of him.
The Volunteers led 31-14 early in the third quarter when the Wildcats called a screen pass on first down. Kirkland shot through a gap in traffic to step in front of the pass from Patrick Towles, who chose the right angle on pursuit and shoved Kirkland out of bounds at the 4-yard line.
"They actually hit us on that earlier in the game, and Darrin recognized the set and was real aggressive and went and got it and made the play," Tennessee defensive coordinator John Jancek said. "That was our message to our defense going into the Kentucky game. We had guys that are in position, right there, and we just weren't making the plays. I just emphasized, hey, we have been great, we've been where we need to be, but we've got to make those plays.
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"The ball hits us right in the hands and we drop it. Or we're in the open field and we're on a good angle and we miss the tackle. Or we've got the quarterback scrambling around and two guys miss sacks, and he now picks up a couple of yards. It was all those things that were kind of biting us in the back I think we made some nice strides in that area."
The strides Kirkland has made in his first season at this level have become evident the past couple of games.
The 6-foot-1, 224-pounder from Indianapolis made seven tackles at Alabama and followed it up with six against Kentucky, and he's now fourth on the team - behind Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Brian Randolph and Derek Barnett - with 35 tackles.
"I don't know what it was," fellow linebacker Reeves-Maybin said. "For him to shoot through there like that and not play the back but play the ball instead, that's really a big instinctual thing. You could tell that's a comfort thing, just to be able to make that play. He's been growing all year, and he's going to have a great season and finish the season strong. I just can't wait to watch him grow into the player he's going to be."
It's never good for defensive players to get caught and tackled by the opposing quarterback, though, and Tennessee's linebackers had some fun at Kirkland's expense while reviewing video.
"I saw his mom and his dad after the game, and that was the first thing they talked about, was him getting run down by the quarterback," Reeves-Maybin said. "He's fast. He can run, but their quarterback's pretty athletic, so I guess I'll cut him a little slack. It wasn't the worst guy to run him down."
Kirkland believes his ability to run works well against the spread offenses the Vols have faced. His agility and closing speed have been evident on a handful of plays. He ha made fewer and fewer freshman mistakes as he settles into his role in the middle of Tennessee's defense.
"Darrin's getting better each and every week," Jancek said. "He understands the system better now. He's a confident guy. He's very vocal. He's got great leadership skills. It's just gaining experience that is allowing him to play the way he is."
His physical talent really hasn't been a problem, but he has grown mentally. The game has slowed down for him, and he's playing faster. As he gets more and more comfortable in the Vols' scheme and more familiar with what opposing offenses are trying to do, he's better able to "troubleshoot," as he put it, when he's on the field.
The Vols already expect Kirkland to make more plays like the one he had in Lexington.
"I don't see him as a freshman, but he's still got a lot of things he's got to work on," Reeves-Maybin said. "He's still got to become a better player.
"Plays like that (interception), he can make them all the time with his ability. It's just being more consistent and keeping himself to that high standard. Once he does that, he'll be able to put up some big-time numbers."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.