Amari Burney assesses Utah's offensive attack
The Florida Gators are just five days away from taking on the No. 7 Utah Utes in Gainesville. Since officially beginning to prepare for the reigning Pac-12 champions on Wednesday, the Gators have spent time in the film room.
Fifth-year senior linebacker Amari Burney spoke on the different ways the Utes’ offense can attack.
It starts with the signal caller
Utah quarterback Cameron Rising returns to the Utes for what will be his first full season as the starter.
Earning Pac-12 All-Conference first-team honors in 2021, Rising threw for 2,493 yards with 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He also showed his mobility with another 499 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
“I feel like he’s a great quarterback,” Burney said. “He played last year. We saw what he did last year. He’s coming back again. I feel like — and I think they are mad about the Rose Bowl game. So I feel like they’ve got a little vengeance on them. He’s a great quarterback. He’s sneaky fast, I see that a little bit.”
Moving to the tight ends
Burney will be dropping into coverage plenty this season against tight ends. He and the rest of the linebacker group will be challenged by two of Utah’s top weapons on Saturday.
“It’s going to be a good challenge for us,” he said. “I feel like we’re ready, though. They’ve got two good tight ends, No. 80 and No. 86. No. 80, we’ve been watching on film. He’s kind of a hybrid tight end, kind of like Kyle Pitts, kind of how we used him. It’s going to be a very good challenge for us.”
Brant Kuithe, who wears No. 80 for Utah, led the team in receiving with 611 yards on 50 catches and six touchdowns in 2021.
Starting alongside Kuithe is Dalton Kincaid (No. 86). He racked up 510 yards receiving, which was the third-most on the team, on 36 receptions with eight touchdowns.
The running game’s threatening ability
The Utes return a number of their leading rushers including their quarterback. More importantly, running backs Tavion Thomas and Micah Bernard are back.
“This is a very good standard,” Burney said. “Like I said, we’ve got a lot of respect for Utah in the run game. We’re just going to go out there and play and see what we can do for real.”
Thomas led the team with 204 carries for 1,108 yards and 21 touchdowns, which is a school record. Bernard, on the other hand, rushed for 523 yards on 87 carries with two scores.
“It’s going to be a great ability for us to stop the run and show you guys that we can stop the run,” Burney said. “Utah is a run-heavy offense. They come in 12, 13 personnel and try to run the ball. We’re going to get grimy and dirty and stop the run.”
