Utah Utes
| Utah Utes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First season | 2014 |
| Head coach | Kirby 3rd season, 4–20 (.167) |
| Stadium | Rice-Eccles Stadium (Capacity: 45,017) |
| Year built | 1953 |
| Field surface | Field Turf |
| Location | Salt Lake City |
| League | NCAA |
| Division | South |
| All-time record | 52–75 (.409) |
| Bowl record | 1–5 (.167) |
| Conference titles | 1 |
| Division titles | 2 |
| Colors | Crimson and White |
| Fight song | Utah Man |
| Mascot | Swoop |
| Rivals | BYU Utah State Colorado |
The Utah Utes are a football team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, that play in the South division of the Pac-12 Conference. The team is currently coached by Kirby.
Contents
History
UserNotSoClever era
In their inaugural season, 2014, UserNotSoClever took the reigns in Utah and guided the team to a 2-10 record. The Utes only managed to win one in-conference match and this culminated in the departure of their coach after only one season. What followed was a coach-less season, and another miserable 2-10 record.
bosskonasegway era
Finally, after a season without a coach, bosskonasegway took control of the team at the start of the 2016 season and finally things were looking up for the Utes. However, after back to back losses to start the season, bosskonasegway went rogue and Utah were once again left without a head coach.
Sleuthofbears era
Coming in mid season is never an easy task... coming in mid season to a team that had managed only 4 wins in over two years is even harder, but this was a task Sleuthofbears relished when taking the hot seat at Utah in the 2016 season. He would go on to be the longest reigning coach the Utes have had to date.
In his first season in charge Sleuthofbears led the team to a 9-3 record including their first ever Bowl visit, narrowly missing out on the Alamo Bowl trophy to Oklahoma 14-28.
The 2017 season saw much of the same success with the Utes amassing an 8-5 record and another bowl berth, which they ended up winning against the highly fancied Clemson Tigers. They defied the odds and won the Mile High Bowl by an impressive 42-17 scoreline.
Another successful season in 2018 was to follow with an illusive 8-5 record and their third consecutive bowl visit, this time coming up short against Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.
After three illustrious seasons in Utah, Sleuthofbears decided his time had come to move on and took over the head coaching role at Texas A&M.
Coolio era
There was a lot of speculation in the media and fans over who would take over at Utah, and ultimately the role was given to quirky coach [Coolio]. His reign wouldn't last long though and he was already without a job after only five games in charge.
The Utes found themselves in deep water again and without a steady coach in charge for the remainder of the 2019 season. Even without a coach, they still managed to reach a bowl game for the fourth successive season, losing the Cactus Bowl to Texas.
owensr37 era
2020 saw the signing of owensr37 as Head Coach and he certainly talked a good talk in his introductory press conference. His opening season in charge was however the worst the Utes have had since their inaugural season and their run of four bowls in a row came to an abrupt end.
There wasn't much faith left in owensr37 heading into the 2021 season, and questions were being asked about his recruiting style (or lack of).
Any doubts were without doubt defied though as the Utes had arguably their most dominant season, amassing an 11-3 record, whilst narrowly losing out on the Orange Bowl to Missouri in a hard fought battle. This was the last game owensr37 was in charge, as he suddenly went AWOL.
Kirby era
After an extensive coach search, and multiple interviews, a rabbit was pulled out of the hat when former Bowling Green coach Kirby took over at Utah on the eleventh hour. They were apparently a matter of minutes away from signing a rookie coach, before Kirby put the call in and declared his interest in the role.
His opening press conference installed fans and local media with a lot of excitement, as he speaks of starting a dynasty here in Utah, and that his focus will go heavily on recruiting, something coaches in the past have come under scrutiny for.
The 2022 season was in large part one to forget. After winning their season opener against OOC opponent and in-state rival Utah State, the Utes went on to win only once more throughout the season. The 2-10 record was one of Utah’s worst in recent history but it was to be expected with so many starters leaving the program after last year’s successes.
On a brighter note, Coach Kirby managed to guide the Utes to the #28 recruiting class in the country, as well as securing the overall #1 player, Finn Leonard, who is a local boy too. The Utes fans have voiced their support for Coach Kirby, despite the tough season.
The 2023 season opened up with the Utes hosting in-state rivals Utah State, in what looked set to be a closely fought battle. The Utes were victorious in the match up, winning 24-17. Finn Leonard threw for two touchdowns and one interception, while fellow true freshman Bronson Love, rushed for 70+ yards and a TD. The remainder of the season was another to be forgotten as the Utes finished up with their second consecutive 2-10 season. The shining light in the tunnel was that Utah once again had a fantastic recruiting season ranking #21 nationally, an improvement on last year.
All-Time Record vs. Pac-12 opponents
This is the Utes's football record against current Pacific-12 Conference opponents through the 2021 season.
| School | Total Games | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA | First Year | Last Year | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 154 | 186 | 2014 | 2021 | W1 |
| Arizona State | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 140 | 174 | 2014 | 2021 | W1 |
| California | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 64 | 40 | 2015 | 2021 | W2 |
| Colorado | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 155 | 184 | 2014 | 2021 | W2 |
| Oregon | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 97 | 98 | 2014 | 2021 | W1 |
| Oregon State | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 82 | 66 | 2014 | 2021 | W2 |
| Stanford | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 88 | 90 | 2015 | 2021 | W1 |
| UCLA | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 | 163 | 147 | 2014 | 2021 | W1 |
| USC | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 141 | 181 | 2014 | 2021 | W1 |
| Washington | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | 78 | 91 | 2016 | 2020 | L1 |
| Washington State | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 61 | 58 | 2016 | 2020 | L1 |
| 11 Opponents | 62 | 29 | 33 | 0 | .468 | 1,221 | 1,301 | 8 Seasons |
Season-by-Season Records
| Year | Coach(es) | Conference | Overall Record | Conference Record | Bowl | Final CP Ranking | ||||
| Wins | Losses | Wins | Losses | |||||||
| Utah Utes | ||||||||||
| 2014 | UserNotSoClever | Pac-12 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 6 | - | - | ||
| 2015 | Vacant | 2 | 10 | 0 | 7 | - | - | |||
| 2016 | bosskonasegway | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Lost Alamo Bowl vs. Oklahoma (14-28) | 14 | |||
| sleuthofbears | 9 | 3 | 6 | 2 | ||||||
| 2017 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 2 | Won Mile High Bowl vs. Clemson (42-17) | - | ||||
| 2018 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | Lost Holiday Bowl vs. Nebraska (35-45) | - | ||||
| 2019 | Coolio | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Lost Cactus Bowl vs. Texas (6-24) | - | |||
| Vacant | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Trojan17 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| Vacant | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 2020 | owensr37 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 8 | - | - | |||
| 2021 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 1 | Lost Orange Bowl vs. Missouri (24-38) | - | ||||
| 2022 | Kirby | 2 | 10 | 1 | 8 | - | - | |||
| 2023 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | - | - | ||||
| Total | 51 | 65 | 30 | 41 | (all games) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Champions | Conference Champions | Bowl game berth |
Bowl games
The Utes have appeared in five bowl games, posting a record of 1-4.
| Season | Bowl | Opponent | Result | ||
| 2016 | Alamo Bowl | Oklahoma | L, 14-28 | ||
| 2017 | Mile High Bowl | Clemson | W, 42-17 | ||
| 2018 | Holiday Bowl | Nebraska | L, 35-45 | ||
| 2019 | Cactus Bowl | Texas | L, 6-24 | ||
| 2021 | Orange Bowl | Missouri | L, 24-38 | ||
| Total | 5 Bowl Games | 1–4 | |||
Individual Award Winners
Players
TBD.
All-Americans
TBD.
All-PAC-12 Players
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Coaches
External links
2022 Depth Chart TBD.
