The 1990 season was the first season for Ron McBride as head coach of the Utes. The team went 4–7 this year, a slight improvement over last season's 4–8 record. The McBride era started with a shutout of Utah State. It was the Utes first shutout since the 1981 season and signaled a change in defensive philosophy from the previous year, in which Utah finished in last place out of 106 Division I-A teams in total defense.