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SALT LAKE CITY â The University of Utah seemed to watch their Pac-12 South title hopes disappear earlier this month as starting quarterback Tyler Huntley was lost for the season with an apparent collarbone injury against Arizona State.
This was only to be followed by star running back Zack Moss suffering a season-ending injury just days later. And suddenly, any hopes for a Pac-12 championship berth seemed foolish.
Going into the matchup against the Sun Devils, the Utes had been helped with stunning losses across the conference throughout the season, and it appeared to set up a scenario where the team could sleepwalk into a division title.
Had the Utes knocked off Arizona State, they could have split games against Oregon and Colorado and likely represented the South. But as has been the case throughout their Pac-12 membership, the easy path has never been the one most traveled.
In the inaugural season, the Utes missed a series of late field goals against Colorado in Week 12 that would have sealed a South title. In 2014, the Utes had a chance to take command of the South after beating USC, but lost in overtime to Arizona State in Week 7 â again, after a missed field goal.
In 2015, an injury to running back Devontae Booker limited the Utes to just 9 points in a crucial home game against UCLA in Week 10. And again in 2016, the Utes fell to Oregon on a last-second touchdown catch by Darren Carrington, who transferred to Utah the following year.
With the injuries to Huntley and Moss, it appeared 2018 was just another season to file away in the what-if category. But despite an unlucky start to November, a title now might be fitting for the Utes' unlucky past.
Backup quarterback Jason Shelley entered the game against Oregon with his own sorted history. Shelley surprised most Utah fans and media when he beat out highly touted freshman quarterback Jack Tuttle for the backup role.
Tuttle transferred away from the Utes after failing to record a snap through six weeks of his initial season at Utah. When Shelley had seen the field in the early part of the season, with the exception of the season opener against Weber State, he struggled to consistently move the ball in reserve minutes.
Armand Shyne, who was brought in to replace Moss, also has a long history at Utah. Shyne appeared to be the Utah starter going into the 2017 season before an arm injury sidelined him for the season.
When Shyne returned to Utah this season, he struggled to get reps and coach Kyle Whittingham implied that Shyneâs effort in practice was lacking. Against Oregon, Shyne returned to contribute 174 yards on 26 rushing attempts, carrying the Utah offensive workload.
In a season where the Utes were picked by many pundits to win the South, only to have their hopes dashed once again by late-season injuries and a devastating loss, it would be fitting for Whittinghamâs team to appear in their first Pac-12 title game against the steepest odds to date.
