Getting ready to put out a tall Flame
Talented 6-4 Liberty receiver to challenge Lobo secondary
Early on during Jalin Burrell’s preparation for New Mexico’s game against Liberty, the Lobos’ senior cornerback jotted down three letters: AGG.
He concentrated on them, knowing full well what they meant. The three letters are a handful.
Antonio Gandy-Golden.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound junior is the Flames’ leading wide receiver with 14 catches for 137 yards and three touchdowns. The three touchdowns came in Liberty’s 52-10 season-opening win over Old Dominion, the team that upset then-No. 13 Virginia Tech last week.
Burrell, at 6 feet, 195 pounds, gives up some size to Gandy-Golden when he matches up against the Flames’ go-to receiver, so he knows he will have to work extra hard. That started with the preparation. Burrell consumed himself with all things Gandy-Golden, following
him on Twitter (@tank8298) and watching film of every route the big receiver has run.
“I’ve been watching too much film,” said Burrell, a confident senior who transferred into UNM last year from Moorpark Junior College in California. “He’s a big body, very tall receiver. He likes to go up and get it. He’s gotten a lot of holding and pass interference calls this year. He’s using his size to his advantage so far. I know I’ll be faster than him, probably more athletic than him, but you always have to take into account that size, because that size, when the ball is in the air, creates a lot of 50-50 balls.”
Burrell knows that even the slightest false move can give Gandy-Golden the advantage during a high throw for a jump ball, turning the situation into a 60-40, or maybe a 70-30 in GandyGolden’s favor.
Liberty’s explosive passing attack is the most productive and biggest threat the Lobos will have faced so far this season, UNM coach Bob Davie said. The Lobos counter with, perhaps, the best secondary in Davie’s seven seasons with the Lobos. The UNM defensive backfield has caused eight turnovers, including seven interceptions. The Lobo defense has nine takeaways in UNM’s 2-1 start. UNM had 13 in each of the past two seasons.
The Lobos will have a big challenge against Flames quarterback Stephen Calvert, a 6-2, 180-pound junior who will make his 22nd consecutive start. The Flames are not all about Gandy-Golden. They also have B.J. Farrow, a 6-1, 190-pound redshirt senior who has started 34 of the 35 games he’s played for Liberty.
“We can’t sleep on them,” said Burrell, who recorded an interception in the Lobos’ seasonopener. “This is probably one of the best teams we will face this season. They’re going to try to light it up. For them being the best pass offense we’ve faced, I think we are the best defensive backfield we’ve had (during Davie’s tenure). I think it’s going to be a test for all of us to see where we’re at, where we’re at as players and where we’re at as a team.”
Burrell has plenty of help in the secondary with fellow senior D’Angelo Ross and junior De’John Rogers at cornerback. Ross and Rogers had one interception each in the Lobos’ 42-25 win at New Mexico State Sept. 15, when UNM picked off five passes. Marcus Hayes, the Lobos’ redshirt freshman playmaking strong safety, led UNM with two interceptions, including a picksix. Bijon Parker, a 6-1, 190-pound senior free safety, is also a leader in the defensive backfield.
Davie says they have great ball skills because of their experience as wide receivers or punt returners before they came to UNM.
Burrell has also received help from the Lobos’ offense. He said the best physical preparation for Gandy-Golden has been matching up against UNM’s redshirt senior wide receiver Delane Hart-Johnson, who is listed at 6-4, 219 pounds and appears bulkier than Gandy-Golden.
“You can’t mistake size,” Burrell said. “I’ve been going straight up with Delane just to see what he does and what I can do. That’s the best thing to do.”