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Offense - Zack Moss
Is there really another option here? No? Didn’t think so. Moss was an absolute monster on thursday night, rushing for 187 yards on an impressive 29 carries all while doing it with a broken hand, depending on who you ask. But more impressive to me was the strength Moss showed when running the ball. Everyone knows Moss is a strong, powerful runner. But the senior running back was able to force 10 missed tackles and ran for over 100 yards after contact against a defense that was the 24th ranked defense last season.
Moss is going to be the key all season long for Utah and will find himself playing on Sundays next fall, but for now, he’ll have to help carry the Utes to a Pac-12 Championship.
Defense - Francis Bernard
It was a long, sloppy first half of play for both sides in the first half, and it lacked exciting, explosive plays save for one. With the game tied 3-3 with 10:17 until intermission, Bernard picked off a Zach Wilson pass and took it 58 yards to the house for a Utah touchdown.
The linebacker position for the Utes is probably the weakest spot on a defense that is absolutely loaded. But Bernard, a former BYU Cougar, brings enough talent to the table that he, along with Devin Llyod, should be able to hold it down at the linebacker position for the Utes. And he showed it on Thursday night.
Special Teams - Britain Covey
With the way the Utah special teams looked against BYU, Britain Covey should be the favorite to come away with the game ball every week. The Utah receiver didn’t make much noise on the offensive side of the ball as he continues to recover from an ACL tear suffered in last season’s Pac-12 Championship game.
Where the receiver did make an impact, however, was on special teams. Covey was able to return the first punt of the game 40 yards to the BYU 33 yard line. Unfortunately, the Utah offense was unable to capitalize, although, if Covey can continue to be a threat in the punt return game, it would add another element to an already dangerous Utah team.