Zack Moss, Utah Demolish West Virginia 30-14 in 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl

The Utah Utes came away with a 30-14 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers in the 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl on Tuesday thanks to a dominant showing from their defense.      

The Utes, who ended the 2017 regular season with six losses in their last eight games, allowed just 153 yards and six first downs at the Cotton Bowl stadium. 

Offense was in short supply early for both teams before Utah took advantage of a worn-down West Virginia defense with 13 points in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore running back Zack Moss was a clear standout for the Utes with 150 yards on 20 carries, and he scored the game's first touchdown on a 58-yard run early in the first quarter. 

This was not the West Virginia offense from the regular season for good reason. The Mountaineers came into the Heart of Dallas Bowl with the 14th-ranked FBS offense, averaging 485.2 yards per game, and the 18th-ranked scoring offense with 36.3 points per game. 

But that team had Will Grier at quarterback. He was unable to play against Utah after suffering a finger injury that required surgery in a 28-14 loss to the Texas Longhorns on Nov. 18.

West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen tried to maintain an optimistic outlook coming into the Heart of Dallas Bowl with sophomore Chris Chugunov at quarterback, via Lynn Worthy of the Salt Lake Tribune: 

"Chugs has been at West Virginia for three years, so it's not like he doesn't know the offense. The biggest thing is understanding he is the starting quarterback and when you have these practices you have to develop some timing with the guys that he's going to actually be throwing to. You can't really flip that switch right at beginning of the second quarter against Texas."

On Tuesday, things didn't come together for Chugunov, who finished 9-of-28 with 129 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. 

Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports had the best analysis of how things went for the Mountaineers quarterback:

Chugunov's problems were heightened because West Virginia's offensive line, which was missing senior guard Kyle Bosch, struggled to protect him.

Per USA Today's Erick Smith, Holgorsen seemed aware his team was overmatched:

"

Dana Holgorsen shaking head while crouched on sideline a sad sight. Probably won't see West Virginia offense look this bad next season.

— Erick Smith (@erick_smith) December 26, 2017"

There was fog and some rain during the game, and temperatures were in the 30s, giving the Mountaineers less than ideal conditions as they tried to integrate a new quarterback. 

Utah was able to adjust to those difficult surroundings with ease. Moss' first-quarter score set the tone for what was to come. 

That run was the biggest play in a memorable game for Moss, who had one of the best seasons by a running back in Utes history, per Utah Athletics:

This wasn't the season Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham hoped for after his team peaked at No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25 after a 4-0 start. Pac-12 play turned out to be the Utes' undoing, as they went 3-6 against conference opponents. 

Despite having an inconsistent regular season, the Utes finished with two straight wins, including the victory over West Virginia, and remain money in bowl games. This is the program's fifth consecutive postseason win and its 14th in its last 15 bowl appearances dating back to 1999. 

Whittingham improved his bowl record as Utah head coach to 11-1, which prompted this assessment from Bryan Fischer of College Football Talk:

A strong end to the year gives the Utes momentum heading into 2018, especially with Moss returning for his junior year. And quarterback Tyler Huntley, who didn't have a great day with 165 yards on 12-of-26 passing and two rushing touchdowns, gained valuable experience in his first season as the starter. 

Utah wasn't far off from having a much better season, with their losses to USC, Stanford, Washington State and Washington coming by a combined 15 points. Whittingham doesn't need to do a significant roster overhaul to have the Utes among the Pac-12's elite teams next year.