It is about preparation. It is about planning every move you make. It is about knowing what your opponents are doing before they do it.

That is how UA junior linebacker Chester Burnett approaches each game, each play, each series.

When Burnett was nicknamed "Chess," few knew how apt that name would really become.

"I sat down with Coach (Larry) Mac Duff before the Washington State game and he told me he wanted me to take on more responsibility," Burnett said. "That is when I started to think about what I would need to do differently. I started to watch film and ask questions and I really began to realize how important mental preparation is."

Combining that mental preparation with his natural athletic ability has made Burnett one of the most effective and versatile linebackers in the Pacific 10 Conference.

Burnett is currently second in the Pac-10 in total tackles with 112 and is the conference leader with 88 solo tackles. He has also recorded five sacks, nine tackles for a loss and two interceptions. It may be a cliche, but wherever the ball is, Burnett is, too.

"I just try to get there. I can't really say I have a nose for the ball," Burnett said. "Most of it has to do with knowing what the opponents are doing and having the speed to get in on the play."

Speed is probably Burnett's biggest physical asset. He can run down tailbacks from behind, be used on a speed blitz or even cover an opponent's receivers. As shown by the state championship he earned as a part of the 4x200-meter relay team at Mullen High School in Denver, Burnett knows how to run.

"His quickness is his greatest ability," UA head coach Dick Tomey said. "That allows him to get to the ball and make the play. That is so important because our defense basically relies on the linebacker to make the tackle."

Burnett's speed has also allowed him to stay in during situations that would normally require linebackers to come out. In turn, it gives him a chance to get more tackles and make more plays. It also means more time in the film room.

"I spend every spare moment watching film," Burnett said. "Knowing every little tendency my opponents have makes me so much more effective."

While he has always considered preparation important, Burnett said it was because he had to play so many roles that he has really become a student of the game. After the Wildcats' 31-17 loss to Washington, Burnett was asked to carry the extra load. He responded with 13 tackles and a sack against Washington State.

"I was a good player, but I knew I could become better if I really put my mind to it," Burnett said. "I start my preparation the second after the last game ends. I really focus my energies on the game."

Amid a sea of injuries, Burnett has stayed relatively healthy this season. After redshirting the 1994 season with a shoulder injury, he has been one of steadiest members of the UA defense.

"The fact that he has played without injury all year has been tremendous," Tomey said. "He has been doing what he is supposed to do."

Burnett is more concentrated now, just days before playing Arizona State, than he ever has been. He said he knows the game often comes down to one big defensive play - and this season, he plans to make that play.

"I want to get that pick or a fumble recovery," he said. "I want to make that play that gives us the win."

Burnett said he was initially forced to attend the private school by his mother, rather than attend his neighborhood school. He said that changed his life. He not only had to concentrate on his studies, but he also met his high school football coach, a man who helped provide a positive male role model for Burnett, who was 12 when his father died.

"That was the best thing that could have happened to me," Burnett said. "It taught me work ethic, it taught me how to be coachable. It also taught me how to think for myself and to think ahead."

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