The month of November continues to plague the Utes, and the injury bug has hit the team once again. Starting quarterback Tyler Huntley and running back Zack Moss have both been ruled out for the season, both coming after a demoralizing defeat at the hands of the Arizona State University Sun Devils.
Huntley’s season ended when, in the fourth quarter against ASU, he suffered a broken collarbone to his left shoulder. The injury took him out of the game immediately and took the gas out of what was becoming a comeback in an otherwise tight game. The injury’s impact will be much more felt in the rest of the season, which Utah needs to win in order to stay atop the Pac-12 South.
Zack Moss was lost for the season this week when the team announced that he’d be having surgery to repair a lingering injury to his knee, and will also miss the remainder of the season. Per team sources, this is an injury that “snuck up on him,” and not one that happened in one fell swoop, like Huntley’s.
The loss of the powerhouse duo hands a surging Utah team a huge blow, and not only sinks them in many power rankings but probably takes them out of the conversation for the Pac-12 South champion. ASU, after their win against Utah, sits just one win back of first, and with the ASU-Utah tiebreaker in their favor, that could bite the Utes when the dust settles at the end of the season.
Looking ahead, Jason Shelley, already ruled the starter against Oregon, will have to work with junior running back Armand Shyne, who saw some time in Utah’s four-game winning streak, as well as sharing reps with Moss throughout the season. T.J. Green will probably see more work in the backfield as well, as the Utes look to work around the injuries.
The Pac-12 South has been and will continue to be a mess of movement as the season comes to a close. The Utes will have to rely on their depth if they hope to remain on top.