No. 17 Arizona Rings In New Year at Holiday Bowl vs. SMU

TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Wildcats (9-3, 6-3 Big 12) visit San Diego this week to prepare for the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl where they will square off against the SMU Mustangs (8-4, 6-2 ACC). The game is set for Friday, Jan. 2 with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. MST.

The Holiday Bowl will be nationally televised on FOX with Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, and Jenny Taft on the call. It will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM featuring play-by-play from the Voice of the Wildcats, Brian Jeffries.

Tickets to the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl are available for purchase here. For a complete rundown of the Wildcats festivities in San Diego, visit the Holiday Bowl Central page.

Arizona will look to cap a wildly successful season with a 10th victory, a feat only accomplished four times previously by the program. The Wildcats closed out the regular season with five consecutive victories, including a dominant win in the 99th Territorial Cup.

For more news and notes on Friday's game, continue below.

Arizona Notes & Numbers

• The No. 17 Arizona Wildcats head to San Diego to face off against the SMU Mustangs in the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl on Friday, Jan. 2.
• The game will be nationally televised on FOX with Gus Johnson (PxP), Joel Klatt (analyst), and Jenny Taft (reporter) on the call. The Holiday Bowl is the only bowl game broadcast on FOX.
• The Holiday Bowl will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM featuring play-by-play from the Voice of the Wildcats, Brian Jeffries.
• Arizona and SMU have faced off twice previously, with the all-time series even at 1-1. The Mustangs won the first ever matchup, 29-7, played in Dallas in 1938. The Wildcats won the rematch and took down No. 6 ranked SMU, 28-6, in Tucson in 1985.
• The Wildcats have played in the Holiday Bowl twice previously, both times against Nebraska, first in 1998 and again in 2009.
• Overall, the Holiday Bowl will be Arizona's 23rd all-time bowl appearance, with the Wildcats holding a 10-11-1 mark in the previous 22.
• Arizona DB Treydan Stukes has earned multiple All-America nods, earning third team recognition from the Associated Press and second team honors from The Sporting News.
• Wildcat QB Noah Fifita's 70 career touchdown passes are the most in program history; his 68th TD pass at Cincinnati on Nov. 15 broke the record previously held by Nick Foles and Willie Tuitama.
• Fifita is also top five in program history in passing yards, ranking third all-time with 8,918 yards. He is 294 yards of moving past Willie Tuitama for second in Arizona history.
• Arizona's five game win streak to close out the regular season gave them nine wins for just the eighth time in program history. With a win in the Holiday Bowl, the Wildcats would reach the 10-win mark for just the fifth time.

SOME GAME THEMES: The No. 21 (AP) / 17 (CFP) Arizona Wildcats head to San Diego to ring in the New Year at the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl, where they will face off against the SMU Mustangs...The game will be nationally televised on FOX with Gus Johnson (PxP), Joel Klatt (analyst), and Jenny Taft (reporter) on the call...The Holiday Bowl is the only bowl game broadcast on FOX and one of only three total non-CFP bowl games not televised on the ESPN family of networks...The Holiday Bowl will also be broadcast live on Wildcats Radio 1290 AM featuring play-by-play from the Voice of the Wildcats, Brian Jeffries...Arizona and SMU have faced off twice previously, with the all-time series even at 1-1...The Mustangs won the first ever matchup, 29-7, played in Dallas in 1938...The Wildcats won the rematch and took down No. 6 ranked SMU, 28-6, in Tucson in 1985...The Wildcats have played in the Holiday Bowl twice previously, both times against Nebraska, first in 1998 and again in 2009...Overall, the Holiday Bowl will be Arizona's 23rd all-time bowl appearance, with the Wildcats holding a 10-11-1 mark in the previous 22...The Holiday Bowl on Friday, Jan. 2 marks just the third time in program history that Arizona will play a football game in January; with both previous January games coming on the 1st, this will be the latest date on the calendar that Arizona Football has ever played.

LAST TIME OUT: For the second straight game the Wildcats defense worked a second half shutout while the Arizona offense scored 20+ to pull away for a come-from-behind victory. The Wildcats 23-7 win over ASU in the 99th Territorial Cup secured their ninth win of the season and extended their win streak to five straight. Additional highlights from the Territorial Cup includes...

Notable Postgame Notes

• The Wildcats improved to 9-3 on the year and finished their second regular season in the Big 12 with a 6-3 conference record.
• Arizona has now won five consecutive games for just the third time in the 21st century and the 23rd time in program history.
• Head Coach Brent Brennan has now won nine games for the first time in his head coaching career. His nine victories are tied for the most by an Arizona second-year head coach in program history (also: James C. Young, 1974, 9-2).
• The Wildcats dominant Territorial Cup victory wrapped up an undefeated 5-0 November for Arizona, marking the first five-win November in program history (records from 1899–1930 do not include game dates).
• Arizona forced five turnovers and now has 28 turnovers on the year, their most in a season since the 2000 team created 33.

14 WILDCATS EARN BIG 12 ALL-CONFERENCE NODS: Following a 9-3 regular season and a bowl berth, 14 Arizona Football standouts were honored with Big 12 All-Conference selections. Headlining the haul of honors are QB Noah Fifita, DB Dalton Johnson, and DB Treydan Stukes, who all picked up First Team recognitions. Arizona's three First Team selections marks the program's most since the 2008 squad tallied four First Team All-Pac-10 honorees. This marks the first career First Team selection for all three players, and the second career all-conference nod for Johnson (2nd Team 2024) and Stukes (HM 2023). Fifita is the third quarterback in program history to earn First Team All-Conference recognition and the first since Bruce Hill earned First Team All-WAC honors in 1975. Earning spots on the All-Big 12 Third Team were WR Kris Hutson, LB Taye Brown, DB Jay'Vion Cole, and DB Genesis Smith. The Wildcats all-conference picks are rounded out by RB Ismail Mahdi, WR Javin Whatley, WR Tre Spivey, OL Ty Buchanan, LB Max Harris, DL Deshawn McKnight, and DL Tiaoalii Savea all earning Honorable Mention. Additionally, four Wildcats earned Honorable Mention status among the Big 12 Football Awards, indicating the player earned multiple votes for the honor: Fifita (Offensive Player of the Year), Johnson (Defensive Player of the Year), Cole (Defensive Newcomer of the Year), and DL Mays Pese (Defensive Freshman of the Year).

STUKES EARNS ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS: Arizona Football defensive back Treydan Stukes has been selected as an Associated Press Third Team All-American and The Sporting News Second Team All-American. Stukes is the first Arizona defensive back to earn AP All-America honors since Antoine Cason pulled in first team honors from the Associated Press in 2007. This marks the second time in three years that Arizona has boasted an AP All-American after wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan garnered the honors in 2023. The sixth-year senior was limited to 10 games during the regular season due to injury, but still managed to tall six pass breakups, four interceptions, and 52 tackles for the Wildcats. Stukes was a leader in the Arizona secondary that stood as one of the most formidable units in the nation this year; his group ranks fourth in the FBS in passing yards allowed, first in pass efficiency defense, and fourth in interceptions. Of his four interceptions this year, none were more important or impressive than his pick in the third quarter of the Territorial Cup. Stukes acrobatic snag helped the Wildcats turn the tide against their in-state rival and landed him in that night's SportCenter Top 10 plays.the Wildcats defense with a career-high 18 tackles, the most by a Wildcat since Scooby Wright has 19 at UCLA on Nov. 1, 2014.

NOAH'S ARC: Redshirt junior quarterback Noah Fifita, one of the most prolific passers in program history, leads the Wildcats offense in 2025. The California native has logged three-plus seasons and 39 games with the Wildcats since his true freshman campaign in 2022. Over that span he has etched his name into the Arizona record books and looks to cement his legacy even further. Fifita currently sports 70 career passing touchdowns and 8,918 career passing yards, marks that rank first and third in program history, respectively. Fifita broke the Wildcats career passing touchdowns record in a ranked road victory at Cincinnati on Nov. 15; his 15-yard pass to WR Gio Richardson rewrote the Arizona record books. The fourth-year signal caller was selected to a trio of watch lists this preseason, earning national recognition from the Maxwell Award, the Polynesian Player of the Year Award, and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He was also added to the Manning Award watch list last month and has earned a pair of Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week nods. He capped his award haul this year with selections to the First Team All-Big 12 squad and the AP First Team All-Big 12 roster.

NO FLY ZONE: Arizona’s defense, in particular their pass defense, has led the charge for the Wildcats turnaround this season. While the Arizona defense as a whole ranks 16th nationally, the Wildcats ability to defend the pass has truly impressed. The Cats have allowed the fourth-fewest pass yards per game in the nation, while their pass efficiency defense mark ranks first among all FBS programs. A large part of their success is the secondary feasting on interceptions, with their 19 picks leading the Big 12 Conference and ranking fifth nationally. It doesn’t stop at interceptions, though; Arizona’s lockdown pass defense has held eight consecutive opponents to under 200 passing yards, the longest active streak in the FBS. The last Big 12 team with a similar run was Missouri’s eight-game stretch during the 2004 season (via Stats Perform). Arizona’s defense has allowed opponents to throw for multiple touchdowns just twice this year (at Houston, at Colorado) and has limited all nine remaining opponents to one or fewer. The Wildcats opened the year with five consecutive games without allowing a passing touchdown.

SET HUT: Wide receiver Kris Hutson continued to improve as this year progressed and made a statement over the Wildcats final three games of the regular season. In victories over Cincinnati (away), Baylor, and Arizona State (away), Hutson combined to pull in 24 receptions for 351 yards and one touchdown. Across that stretch he accounted for 42.1% of his season total in receptions and 47.4% of his season total in receiving yards.

A RARE FEAT: The Arizona defense has created 28 turnovers and allowed just 25 touchdowns this season, marking the first time that the Wildcats allowed fewer touchdowns than turnovers created since the 2006 squad created 26 turnovers and allowed only 24 touchdowns. Since 1997, only four times has Arizona's delta between turnovers created and touchdowns allowed been even or better.

ON THE MARK: In the Wildcats week eight contest at Houston, quarterback Noah Fifita completed 24-of-26 passes for a 92.3% completion rate, tying the Arizona single-game program record. Fifita’s ultra-accurate outing was the fourth best in the FBS this season, and the third best by a road quarterback in the last 30 years (minimum 25 attempts). Fifita is one of only three quarterbacks in the nation this season with a 90%-plus completion percentage in a game with 25 or more attempts.

UNSHEATH THE SWORD: Arizona’s turnover sword has been busy this season, seeing use in 10-of-12 games so far with multiple uses in eight separate games. The Wildcats 28 turnovers forced through 12 games are tied for the third most in the nation and the most for the program since creating 33 turnovers across 11 games in 2000. With five turnovers against Colorado, Hawai’i, and Arizona State, the Wildcats now boast multiple five-turnover performances for the first time since 2000 (USC & Washington State).

GONE PORTALIN’: According to research done by ESPN’s Max Olson, the Wildcats are ranked fourth among Power Four programs and second in the Big 12 Conference in experience added via the transfer portal. Arizona added 27 transfers that brought with them 403 starts and 25,467 snaps of Division I experience.

STATE 48: The Wildcats have made in-state recruiting a priority — keeping top talent at home is a crucial piece of the program's success historically and will continue to be emphasized under Head Coach Brent Brennan. Of the 110 players on the Wildcats 2025 roster, 29 of them hail from hometowns in the 48th state in our union; those Arizona players account for over a quarter (26.4%) of the roster. Included in that bunch are four players who call Tucson home — they are highlighted in the table below.

RANKED ROAD KILL: Arizona’s win over then No. 22 Cincinnati in November was the Wildcats second win over an AP Top 25 team under the direction of head coach Brent Brennan (also: at No. 10 Utah, 2024). Coach Brennan is now one of only seven coaches in program history with multiple road wins over ranked opponents.

THE WHOLE 99: The Wildcats retook the lead midway through the third quarter last week at Cincinnati with a 99-yard drive that was capped by a 50-yard rush from RB Kedrick Reescano. The extended march was the Wildcats first 99-yard drive since going the maximum against Texas Tech in September 2019. Prior to that, Arizona’s most recent 99-yard drive came against Northern Arizona in 2009, giving the Wildcats only three 99-yard drives in the last 17 seasons.

MAHDI MOTION: Arizona running back Ismail Mahdi has been a key piece of the Wildcats offense over the first nine games, tallying a team-leading 969 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns. Prior to his time with the Wildcats, Mahdi spent two years at Texas State and one season at FCS Houston Christian. The Murphy, Texas native currently boasts one of the most productive careers in the nation: Mahdi's ranks among the top 10 active career leaders with 4,521 all-purpose yards (6th) and 122.29 all-purpose yards per game (4th) during his FBS career.

WILDCATS IN THE NFL: The Arizona Wildcats are once again well represented in the NFL, with 12 players currently sprinkled throughout league rosters. Highlighting the group of former Wildcats are a pair of first round picks in Tetairoa McMillan (2025) and Jordan Morgan (2024). With his selection earlier this year, McMillan became the 12th Arizona player to earn a first round NFL Draft pick. He joined a list that includes Morgan (2024; 25th, Green Bay), Antoine Cason (2008; 27th, San Diego), Trung Canidate (2000; 31st, St. Louis), Chris McAlister (1999; 10th, Baltimore), John Fina (1992; 27th, Buffalo), Chris Singleton (1990; 8th, New England), Anthony Smith (1990; 11th, Oakland), Rickey Hunley (1984; 7th, Cincinnati), Mike Dawson (1976; 22nd, Arizona), Bill Lueck (1968; 26, Green Bay), and Walt Nelson (1939; 10th, New York Giants). McMillan was the first of four Wildcats selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, marking the most Arizona picks since 2008.

Current Wildcats on NFL Rosters (as of 12/27/25)

• Jonah Savaiinaea, OL, Miami Dolphins
• Nick Folk, K, New York Jets
• Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
• Tyler Loop, K, Baltimore Ravens
• Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, LB, New York Giants
• Roy Lopez, DT, Detroit Lions
• Jordan Morgan, OT, Green Bay Packers
• Lucas Havrisik, K, Green Bay Packers
• Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
• Jacob Cowing^, WR, San Francisco 49ers
• Gary Brightwell*, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
• Tanner McLachlan*, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

*Practice Squad    ^Reserve/Injured

CASINO DEL SOL STADIUM: The University of Arizona and Casino Del Sol, an enterprise of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, today announced a landmark 20-year naming rights agreement for Arizona Stadium valued at more than $60 million, the largest such agreement in Big 12 Conference history. Under the partnership, the venue will be known as Casino Del Sol Stadium. Casino Del Sol joins Arizona Athletics' top tier of corporate and community investors as a Pillar Partner, with category exclusivity in casino, gaming and resorts beginning next fiscal year. The naming partnership includes new exterior and interior branding, field logos, and digital platforms, along with expanded integration into national television broadcasts. The collaboration prioritizes the roles the U of A – as Arizona's flagship, land-grant university – and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe have in benefiting students, families, and communities across Southern Arizona. Through new programs and co-created initiatives, the partnership will deepen academic, cultural, and economic links between the university and the tribe.