Redshirt freshman safety Devonni Reed feels pressure as own biggest critic
On redshirt freshman safety Devonni Reed's first chance to force a turnover against Kentucky, he missed the ball.
"I have to capitalize," Reed remembers telling himself after making an early mistake.
Once the opportunity came again, he didn't miss.
Senior defensive tackle Nathan Brisson-Fast stripped the ball from Kentucky wide receiver Lynn Bowden, Reed snagged it out of mid-air and ran 20 yards into the end zone for a touchdown.
The score gave the Chippewas a 17-7 advantage with 5:33 left in the second quarter.
"I felt amazing because I put my team up with a big score," Reed said. "I'm my own biggest critic. I set myself for higher standards. It was a good game for me, but I would've liked to cap it off with a win."
Being critical of himself isn't always painless, but it has accompanied Reed to evolve into the player he is today. While everyone is pushing him to greatness, the safety is doing the same for himself at a higher rate.
Reed's demanding mentality has helped him lock in for CMU's upcoming game against Kansas on Sept. 8. He has watched a plethora of film - highlighting multiple offensive tendencies he aims to exploit.
"I'm going to try to do better than I did last week," Reed said.
"They are a really good team. We have to come out with intensity. We can't sleep on them. If you sleep on any team, you'll get beat. I respect them."
Reed's performance against Kentucky led to him earning a Mid-American Conference East Defensive Player of the Week award.
The 6-foot, 180-pound defensive back recorded a team-high 14 tackles with a fumble recovery, returned for a touchdown.
The strength of the Wildcats wasn't simple to manage, but the redshirt freshman was prepared due to the physical mentality of CMU's practices.
Taking a redshirt during his freshman year, Reed grew under starting safeties Josh Cox and Darwyn Kelly.
"Devonni, you're up next. You have to be ready," the duo told him.
Reed used the redshirt to his advantage - studying, practicing and developing under their wing - to become the player he is today.
"This secondary lost some players, but me and (redshirt freshman) Alonzo McCoy filled their steps of the veteran players," Reed said.
The Chippewas and Jayhawks battle at 3 p.m. on Sept. 8 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant.
