Utes RB Moss Listed As Top 10 Favorite For Heisman Trophy
Sep 4, 2019, 1:19 PM
Zack Moss #2 of the Utah Utes is brought down short of the goal line in the first half against the Brigham Young Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah Utes running back, Zack Moss, was listed as a top 10 favorite to win the Heisman Trophy by Pro Football Focus.
Pro Football Focus or PFF, listed Moss as the ninth most likely college football player to win the Heisman following the first week of college football.
Moss was listed just ahead of Clemson running back, Travis Etienne, following his performance against BYU on August 29 where he rushed for 187 yards.
Yes yes…we know we are only one week into the season. Still…
ITS HEISMAN WATCH TIME!
(via @PFF_Cam)https://t.co/dOyalNSdqE pic.twitter.com/0dcbx42Ci3
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 4, 2019
PFF listed the following players ahead of Moss in their Heisman Rankings through Week 1:
- Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts
- Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy
- Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa
- Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence
- Ohio State QB Justin Fields
- Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor
- Purdue WR Rondale Moore
- Oklahoma State RB Chuba Hubbard
Oklahoma has produced each of the last two Heisman winners in Kyler Murray (2018) and Baker Mayfield (2017).
MORE:
- No Surprise, Utes Need To Keep Feeding Zack Moss
- He’s Back: Zack Moss Dominates BYU In Second Half
- Whittingham: We Need To Be On Our Game Against Northern Illinois
Moss’ Week 1 Performance
Moss carried the ball 29 times for 187 yards and a touchdown against the Cougars in the first game of the 2019 season. He also had two catches for 7 yards.
It's been three days and I'm still thinking about this run by Zack Moss. Low center of gravity, incredible balance, turned a loss into a gain and helped Utah get out of a bind after Skyler Southam pinned Utah deep in their own territory. pic.twitter.com/OuF4nNAsrt
— Zak Hicken (@zakhicken) September 1, 2019
Cam Mellor of PFF had the following to say about his performance against BYU.
Moss forced a whopping 15 missed tackles against BYU on Thursday night, leading the nation’s running backs by four in that category. In fact, only two running backs forced double-digit missed tackles or more AND converted double-digit first-down and touchdown runs, while Moss led in each of those categories. Staying healthy will be key for him this season but he’s got a big leg up on the competition in terms of how strong his defense is and the fact that Utah could very well run the table in 2019.
During the offseason, KSL’s Unrivaled discussed whether Moss’ legitimacy as a Heisman contender.
The Utah running back will have the chance to improve his Heisman candidacy on Saturday, September 7 at 11 a.m. (MDT) when the Utes host the Northern Illinois Huskies. The game is available on the Pac-12 Network.
