What Stood Out From Kyle Whittingham’s Week Two Press Conference
Sep 1, 2025, 9:42 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – On Monday, Utah Football head coach Kyle Whittingham addressed members of the media in his second in-season press conference of 2025.
The Utes are coming off a 43-10 victory over the UCLA Bruins. They now look ahead to their first home game of the season against the Cal Poly Mustangs this Saturday. Kickoff set for 4:00 pm MT, and will air on ESPN+.
After the 15-minute presser, here are five key takeaways from Utah’s head coach press conference.
One – Coach Rob McBride was responsible for Utah’s resurgence
Rob McBride will be inducted into Utah’s Ring of Honor on Saturday. McBride coached the Utes for 13 years and was the leader who righted the ship for the Utah football brand.
“Coach Mac was responsible for the resurgence of Utah football,” Whittingham said of the living legend. “Master recruiter. If you just say ‘What is Coach Mac’s strength?’ It was recruiting, and in college football, that’s the most important aspect of your job. He was the best at what was most important.”
Coach McBride took that ability even further when his players joined the program.
“And for me personally, he gave me my first opportunity in Division I football. I’m forever grateful for that. I got my start here at Utah. Came from right up the road at Idaho State. He was instrumental in my path and coaching path. And like I said, I’m eternally grateful for him and what he did for me.” – Kyle Whittingham on Ron McBride’s impact on him.
“He had a great rapport with his players, players loved him,” Whittingham described. “Passionate coach, loves the game. Still coaching to this day, I believe he’s still working with kids in the community and helping out where he can.”
RELATED: Former Utah Coach Ron McBride To Be Inducted Into Utes Ring Of Honor
McBride ingrained his “MAFU” mantra—Mental toughness, Aggressiveness, Fanatical effort, Unity—and transformed a sputtering program into a contender. Characteristics that are still synonymous with Utah football to this day.
Off the field, McBride’s influence only grew. He not only sent 21 players to the NFL but also launched the Ron McBride Foundation, supporting Utah’s most vulnerable youth.
“He’s meant so much to the community, not just Utah football and the university,” Whittingham continued. “Still active in the community, and he’s a guy who is constantly giving back and has done that all his life.”
Two – The usage of two-way stars will change week to week
Maybe the biggest surprise of Saturday night’s game was the usage of Utah’s two-way standouts. Not so much in the sense that they were used, but how much they were.
On Monday, Whittingham reconfirmed their plans to continue to use them moving forward. He also acknowledged that their specific usage will change week by week and matchup by matchup.
“We plan on using them each and every week,” he stated. “How much is exactly as you mentioned, (will be determined by) what the matchup is and what personnel groups they’re in.”
The big concern is that snap counts will get out of hand and potentially increase their risk for injury. However, Whittingham laid out how aware and mindful they will be with their utilization.
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In the post-game, Whittingham revealed that there had been conversations between them and Colorado this offseason. The Buffs obviously had Travis Hunter, who played full-time on both sides of the ball. Whittingham provided additional details to those conversations.
“Our sports scientists collaborated and talked about it, so it was more from the science side rather than the coaching side,” he shared. “Just how you handle it, particularly during the week, what kind of, I don’t want to say concessions, but adjustments or modifications do you make for those players that are playing or projected to play both ways.”
Utah will closely monitor their practice workload, conditioning, and weight room work. They want to utilize them both ways, but do not want to wear them down. And keep in mind, Snowden only played 47 snaps, well below his average of 58 snaps per game last season, while Barton only played 7 offensive snaps.
Three – 60% pressure rate on Nico Iamaleava
A big factor going into the game was going to be the pressure rate. Nico Iamaleava is a very talented passer, and the belief is that he’ll lead a fairly dynamic offense this season. However, just like any quarterback, pressure impacted his ability to execute at a high level last season.
Utah finished the night with a 60% pressure rate, meaning Iamaleava dealt with a defender bearing down on him on more than half of his dropbacks. Typical pressure rates hover around 30% for context.
“That’s big for a defense coordinator to be able to generate a pass rush with just four,” Whittingham shared. “It opens up all kinds of coverage combinations and coverage opportunities up the field.”
Key to Utah’s disruptiveness was John Henry Daley. He finished the night with two sacks and seven total pressures. He consistently beat the offensive tackle in front of him to get into the backfield.
“Any DC in the country will tell you the same thing: if you can get good pressure with four, then you’ve got something going there,” Whittingham shared.
And that was a big factor in Utah’s defensive success on Saturday night.
Four – His assessment of the defensive secondary
“I think they held up well,” he shared. “We dodged a bullet or two. There were some guys open down the field that missed a throw. But I thought for a first game, those guys did a nice job, especially Blake Cotton.”
The senior cornerback emerged as the starter opposite of Scooby Davis. In his first game as a Ute, against a power conference foe, Cotton played quite well.
“He’s a good tackler and he doesn’t turn things down,” he described. “Sometimes you get DBs that are a little reluctant to go up and mix it up. But he demonstrated some physicality and did some good things in coverage.”
𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝟏: 𝐂𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐩 𝐯𝐬 𝐔𝐂𝐋𝐀#GoUtes | @Ford pic.twitter.com/RwGmyUya9b
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 1, 2025
Whittingham reiterated what everybody believes. “Of course, Smith’s our premier cover guy, and Scooby played a lot of football for us last year, so I thought those guys did a nice job.”
Utah showcased some of the flexibility and versatility they have in the secondary Saturday night. A handful of players can play multiple roles in the secondary, and that could be pretty significant this season.
Five – Preparing for Cal Poly
“We don’t overlook anybody,” Whittingham stated.
The Cal Poly Mustangs are coached by Paul Wulff, entering his third season at the helm. The Mustangs enter this one with a 6-16 record under Wulff but Whittingham isn’t taking that for granted.
“I don’t care what level they are or what their record is,” he said. “As soon as you do that, you find yourself getting smacked in the face.”
Given Utah’s victory over the weekend, there is a lot of newfound (refound?) excitement for seeing the Utes in action, even against the Mustangs. It’s clear that Whittingham wants to approach this game just like any other.
