UNM senior and cornerback Glover Quin has solved the injury riddle.
After overcoming a serious groin injury in his junior year, Quin still managed to receive Honorable Mention All-Mountain West Conference last year.
Before coming to UNM, Quin played his first two years at Southwest Mississippi Community College before he transferred to UNM in 2006.
Quin said he didn't have much difficulty adjusting to Division-I play.
"Football-wise, it was a bit faster," he said. "But other than that, the transition to UNM was pretty easy."
Quin, who missed two games last year due to the injury, notched 40 tackles and collected two interceptions last season.
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But Quin devoted much time to rehabbing and coming into the 2008 campaign, and he is healthy and ready to produce.
CollegeFootballNews.com named Quin first team All-MWC.
But Quin said he's just focused on staying on the field.
"I'm just trying to stay healthy," he said. "That's what I've been doing - just trying to stay healthy. I've been hampered with a couple of injuries in past years. I'm just going to try and help my team win."
With the 2008 season around the corner, Quin said he's focused on making plays for the team, not for individual recognition.
"Whether it's defense or special teams, I want to help the team," he said. "If an opportunity to make a play comes up, I hope I make it. But I just want to come out as a winner for my senior year."
Last year, Quin and DeAndre Wright were one of the elite cornerback tandems in the nation. The Lobos were ranked 20th in the country in pass-defense. However, in Quin's absence, the Lobos allowed 255.6 yards a game. When Quin and Wright were both in the lineup, the Lobos' defense was much improved, giving up just 161 passing yards per game.
Wright and Quin are projected first team All-MWC in their senior year. Still, where Quin, Wright and the Lobos end up at the end of the season is still to be determined, Quin said.
"It just adds a lot of pressure to us coming into this season," he said. "And people are going to expect us to play good. So, yeah, we've been working extra hard at practice, so we can compete at a higher level than we did the past two years."
With Quin on the field, the level of intensity at practices never dips, Wright said.
"Glover likes to get the team all pumped up, and we feed off of that during practice and before games," he said.
UNM vs. TCU
Aug. 30 at 4 p.m.
University Stadium
