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Despite a flurry of fumbles and interceptions, the Utah Utes clung to a slim halftime lead against their rivals. So coach Kyle Whittingham's message to his team in the locker room was simple enough.

"We knew we were the better team," freshman running back Zack Moss said. "We just had to cut down on the mistakes."

But in Utah's 20-19 victory Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Moss may have been the biggest beneficiary of one of those mistakes. When starter Joe Williams coughed up the football midway through the first quarter, he seemed to end up in Whittingham's doghouse for a while, leaving the coach looking down the depth chart for ball security in the running game.

Whittingham first looked to the speedy Troy McCormick on the next series and McCormick quickly showed some of the elusiveness that made his fall camp battle for the starting job so close. The running back raced around the left tackle for 14 yards on his first carry after taking over for Williams.

Soon after that, it was Moss' turn.

The 5-foot-10, 213-pound freshman recorded the first carry of his college career in the second quarter Saturday and went on to rush for 58 yards on a team-high 12 rushes.

"We got a great group of running backs. When it's my turn to get out on the field, I just do what I do," Moss said. "That's it."

Moss' 6-yard run on third-and-5 late in the first half extended the Utes' drive and set up quarterback Troy Williams' 21-yard touchdown strike in the waning seconds of the half. And Whittingham called the freshman's number seven times in the fourth quarter as the Utes chewed up the clock on a 10-minute drive.

"I knew the rivalry, so it was a great opportunity for me to come out and showcase what I have," Moss said.

McCormick finished the game with a team-high 62 yards on 10 carries.

Williams, who was back on the field in the second half, finished with 32 yards on 10 carries.

"It's a long season and I want to be a leader for this team and contribute to a bunch of wins this year and get to a bowl, a playoff berth," said Williams, who fumbled for the fourth time in his past five games Saturday. "I'm going to fight for my spot and continue to have the starter attitude and just go out there and fight."

afalk@sltrib.com

Twitter: @aaronfalk