Heart of Dallas Bowl Preview: West Virginia vs. Utah
Over the course of the next few weeks, I will talk about each of the bowl games, mostly related to the Power 5 Conferences. Since we are in an era where conference supremacy is talked about and how regions are more inclined to defend their conference, I figured it would be a good time to look at a few of the games that fans may (or may not) be intrigued by. Of course, this may be pushing it, but hey, I will probably watch.
Both West Virginia and Utah entered 2017 with high hopes from their fan bases. And both probably feel disappointed by the outcome of the seasons. West Virginia pulled off a 7-5 record after being in the mix of the Big 12 championship last year and sputtered down the stretch, losing to Texas at home and getting destroyed by Oklahoma in the final week while being unable to compete with the power teams of Virginia Tech, TCU, and Oklahoma State. Utah started off 4-0, ranked 20 and had hopes of stealing the PAC-12 South. However, a home loss to Stanford, a heartbreaker at USC and then an unexplainable blowout loss at home against Arizona State had pretty much doomed them in. In fact, it had to take a win in the final week of the regular season against Colorado to even secure a bowl game for the Utes. So to say that both teams would like to end the 2017 season on a positive note is an understatement as the year has been letdowns of what the teams have both been building up.
UTAH VS. WEST VIRGINIA, DECEMBER 26, 12:30 (ESPN)
UTAH WINS IF:
1. THEY CAN GET A FEW KEY STOPS: The biggest issue and a surprising one is Utah's struggles on defense. They normally have been one of the better squads in the PAC-12 on that side and one reason why they are near the top of PAC-12 South. However, since the Utes have been in conference play, they gave up 28 or more points 5 times. Yes, I get the PAC-12 is offensive-minded, but Utah has held their own in the against these offensive squads like Oregon and Arizona State. Instead they had struggled because the getting those key stops aren't there this year.
2. TYLER HUNTLEY LOOKS LIKE TYLER HUNTLEY OF BEGINNING OF THE SEASON: Huntley was lights out to start the year, completing over 70% his passes the first 4 games, and nearly averaging 300 yards per until his shoulder injury which kick-started Utah's slide. Granted, it wasn't like the Utes were facing the heavyweights yet (North Dakota, BYU, and San Jose State), but still it gave Utah fans hope. The injury hits against Arizona and then the Utes fall apart. When Huntley came back, a mix of tougher competition and the shoulder injury set him back. He came back and got picked off 4 times by Arizona State, wasn't overly accurate against either Oregon or Washington State (including 3 picks against the Cougars) and just couldn't win those games. Question may be if Huntley even plays as he sat out the final game of the regular season against Colorado with an undisclosed injury. But if he plays, he has to be on his "A" game.
3. ZACK MOSS GETS 20 CARRIES: It means that the Utes are doing something well and it also means it takes the Will Grier-less Mountaineers on the sideline. And Moss is showing he can run the ball a bit. After a big game against Colorado, Moss can have another big day on the ground against a West Virginia squad ranked 104th nationally.
WEST VIRGINIA WINS IF:
1. THEY CAN GENERATE ANY OFFENSE: There wasn't a lot in the final weeks especially after Will Grier got injured in the Mountaineers loss against Texas. The offense sputtered and pretty much went AWOL against Oklahoma (yes, they scored 31 points, but the game was well out of reach by halftime (45-10). No Grier makes difficulties for the Mountaineers to move the ball, mostly through the air. Chris Chugunov hasn't shown much in the offense with his arm, which means Kennedy McKoy and Justin Crawford will be targeted by the Utes defense, which is ranked 36th in the nation against the run and 54th against the pass. So West Virginia, if they can move the ball, can really put Utah in a bind.
2. THEY CAN GET A LEAD BY THE 4TH QUARTER: If the Mountaineers play tough and hard while having a lead in the 2nd half, then it makes Huntley and Utah to open the passing game off and avoid Zack Moss. But without Grier it may be problematic with McCoy & Crawford as the Utes can stack up 8 in the box. But if they can get the running game going they have a great shot.
3. THEY STOP ZACK MOSS: Hard to do given the Mountaineers run defense ranked 104th nationally, but if they do not make him a factor, it could be very interesting late.
MY TAKE: I think the Mountaineers losing Grier will sting and while it was an overall young group on defense for West Virginia, they struggled. I just think overall Utah's offense will pick apart West Virignia's defense and the Utes will get a few stops to really decide the game.
MY PREDICTION: UTAH 38, WEST VIRGINIA 17
-Fan in the Obstructed Seat
