Karene Reid 'super confident' for Utah's LB to face Florida State

As game week rolls around, Utah is making final preparations for Saturday’s game against the Florida Gators in Gainesville. While Utes are currently No. 7 and tend to mostly come in winning form considering how much talent returned a season ago, there are still some fresh faces in the defense that need to be stepped up to make that happen.

As a newly elected starter, sophomore linebacker Karene Reid isn’t exactly a new face, but he’s stepping in as a new leader following the departure of Devin Lloyd and Nephi Sewell to the NFL. Enter him The first starting point, Reed was both excited and grateful.

“Together with the team, we’ve been working hard, pushing each other, and finally it’s time for us to show the nation what we have… All I can say is I’m grateful for this position. So I just want to keep that legacy alive,” Reed said.

While his first start is sure to be a challenge, especially against a respected SEC opponent with plenty of talent, Reed and head coach Kyle Whittingham are full of enthusiasm for the group to get the job done confidence.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for linebackers in Game 1 will be the inclusion of star quarterback Anthony Richardson. At 6-foot-4 and 232 pounds, Richardson is a dangerous dual-threat quarterback who can hurt you in a number of ways. If he isn’t contained, Utah might have a hard time leaving the swamp with a win, which Reed fully understands.

Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) passes to wide receiver in the fourth quarter ball. The Blues beat the Orange 34-0 as the Florida Gators scrimmaged in the annual Orange and Blue game. Doug Engle – USA TODAY NETWORK .

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“He’s just a terrific athlete, so we have to stay ahead of our game and stay in our gap, we have to be disciplined. If a guy misses a gap, he’s going to make us pay. So film studies ,” Reed explained.

Overall, Reed and the rest of the linebackers are ready for the task ahead. While facing such a talented team that is arguably the best conference in the country will be a huge challenge, Reed said the key to victory will be sticking to his role to contain Florida’s offense.

“Gap Integrity,” Reed said. “Be true to our characters and our gaps because like I said, that quarterback will make you miss, throw it over the top, so we have to get over our T and embellish our I.”

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