Los Angeles • Utah sophomore running back Zack Moss looked at times like he could carry the entire offense on his back against No. 13 USC on Saturday night.
The 5-foot-10, 210-pound sophomore from Florida rushed for a career-high 141 yards on 20 carries, and added three receptions for 26 yards. He gave the Utes offense a hard-nosed element and balance.
”Zack Moss played the best game of his life as a Ute,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.
Moss and the offensive line’s production provided enough uncertainty to prevent the Trojans from pinning back their ears and selling out on the pass rush.
Last week, Stanford’s pressure rattled the Utes significantly and forced Troy Williams into a less than stellar game. Saturday night against USC, Williams passed for 262 yards, using play-action in several key situations — including a pivotal fourth-and-1 on the final possession.
Moss’ 113 first-half yards were more than he had in all but one game this season. In fact, his rushing yards against BYU (21), San Jose State (43) and Arizona (73) combined don’t match his total from Saturday night.
He provided a shot in the arm to a Utes offense which struggled against Stanford.
“We jumped out early this time,” Moss said. “We came out with a lot more energy than we did last week. We just didn’t sustain that energy.”
Moss had seven second-half carries for 28 yards as the Trojans defense tightened up and held the Utes to 165 yards of total offense in the second half.
“I don’t really think they kept me in check in the second half,” Moss said. “I just didn’t get the ball enough to make plays for our team.”
Moss’ play might force the Utes coaching staff into devising more ways to get the ball into his hands.