Utah’s Zack Moss is the most valuable running back who’s returning to college football in 2019, according to an ESPN analysis.
The Utes went 3-2 in the games Moss missed last season — beating Oregon, Colorado and BYU and losing to Washington and Northwestern. His absence was noticeable, based on ESPN’s formula that “quite simply tries to measure the effect of each player on every play.” That includes pass protection, in the case of a running back.
The timing of the analysis is meaningful, considering that Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has not updated Moss’ status this month, citing the team’s policy of discussing only long-term injuries.