Utah Utes vs West Virginia Mountaineers Match Player Stats On Dec 26, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 26, 2017

DALLAS -- Zack Moss ran for 149 yards and Utah's defense held West Virginia to six first downs in a 30-14 victory at the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Tuesday.

Quarterback Tyler Huntley added a pair of 2-yard touchdown runs and Matt Gay made three field goals for the Utes (7-6), who improved to 11-1 in bowl games under coach Kyle Whittingham.

West Virginia (7-6), its offense decimated by injuries to three starters and the decision by 1,000-yard rusher Justin Crawford to skip the bowl, ended the season on a three-game losing skid.

All three losses occurred after starting quarterback Will Grier suffered a dislocated finger on his throwing hand against Texas on Nov. 18. Grier was on the sideline in sweats this time as the Mountaineers managed only 153 yards.

Sophomore backup Chris Chugunov struggled to 9-of-28 passing for 129 yards with two interceptions, both by Julian Blackmon.

Huntley completed 12 of 26 for 165 yards and lost a fumble, though the running game provided Utah with the balance West Virginia lacked.

Moss dashed through the middle for a 58-yard score on the Utes' first series.

Capitalizing on a fumbled punt by West Virginia's Marcus Simms, Utah drove only 13 yards to score its second touchdown. Huntley carried out a goal-line play fake to make it 14-3.

Utah's defense dominated, holding West Virginia to 2 of 14 on third downs. In one stretch, the Utes did not yield a first down on 10 consecutive possessions.

In danger of matching their fewest points ever in a bowl game, the Mountaineers scored on Chugunov's 18-yard pass to Ka'Raun White with 1:58 left. Running back Kennedy McKoy tacked on a two-point pass to tight end Trevon Wesco.

McKoy finished with 31 yards on 14 carries as the West Virginia ground game never gained traction.

NOTES: West Virginia played without LT Yodny Cajuste, a 12-game starter who reportedly injured a hamstring in practice this week. That absence exacerbated an earlier injury to senior guard Kyle Bosch, who did not make the trip. ... Utah RT Darrin Paulo went down with an apparent knee injury in the third quarter. ... The Mountaineers fell to 2-4 in bowls under caoch Dana Holgorsen.