(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes quarterback Byrd Ficklin (15) looks to pass the ball during the game between the Utah Utes and the Colorado Buffaloes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. Kyle Whittingham said he saw it immediately at the dawn of Utah’s spring camp.

Utah’s 53-7 thrashing of Colorado featured 422 rushing yards, a poised freshman quarterback, and a head coach who called it one of the program’s best performances.

Utah crossed the goal line six times in a 53-7 win over Colorado, starting with freshman quarterback Byrd Ficklin’s 63-yard run on the game’s second play. The most celebrated one by Utah’s players, however, might have been Nate Johnson’s 56-yard touchdown run with 3:12 left in the game.

Whittingham has an 11-6 record versus BYU since taking over the Utes’ head job in 2004. This is, however, the first time the head coach has lost three consecutive contests to the Cougars in his 21-year career. “It’s part of the deal,” Whittingham said. “You go from elation to devastation in a seven-day period of time.

Bear Bachmeier has gotten off to quite the impressive start to his collegiate career as a true freshman quarterback.

I’m just going to focus on us this week, our guys, our coaches, so I’m not going to give much thought on the opponent this week,” Utah’s head coach said.

TEMPE – When Kyle Whittingham took over as Utah’s football coach in 2005, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham was still a sophomore quarterback at Chaparral High School. While Dillingham worked his way up the ranks of college football, he took ...