diff --git a/cake/libs/controller/controller.php b/cake/libs/controller/controller.php
index 6075696ab..3025b1d43 100644
--- a/cake/libs/controller/controller.php
+++ b/cake/libs/controller/controller.php
@@ -874,6 +874,7 @@ class Controller extends Object {
 				$object = $this->{$this->modelClass};
 			} else {
 				$className = null;
+				$name = $this->uses[0];
 				if (strpos($this->uses[0], '.') !== false) {
 					list($name, $className) = explode('.', $this->uses[0]);
 				}
diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/controller.test.php b/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/controller.test.php
index 0f8534c57..9997f88ef 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/controller.test.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/controller.test.php
@@ -84,7 +84,6 @@ class ControllerTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$Controller->passedArgs[] = '1';
 		$Controller->params['url'] = array();
 		$Controller->constructClasses();
-		$Controller->modelClass = null;
 
 		$results = Set::extract($Controller->paginate('ControllerPost'), '{n}.ControllerPost.id');
 		$this->assertEqual($results, array(1, 2, 3));
@@ -92,6 +91,8 @@ class ControllerTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$results = Set::extract($Controller->paginate('ControllerComment'), '{n}.ControllerComment.id');
 		$this->assertEqual($results, array(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6));
 
+		$Controller->modelClass = null;
+
 		$Controller->uses[0] = 'Plugin.ControllerPost';
 		$results = Set::extract($Controller->paginate(), '{n}.ControllerPost.id');
 		$this->assertEqual($results, array(1, 2, 3));