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Arizona, SMU Meet Tonight in Holiday Bowl Clash of Passing Strengths

The matchup underscores program momentum, with Arizona chasing a rare 10th win versus an SMU bid to end a bowl drought dating to 2012.

Overview

  • Kickoff is 8 p.m. ET on FOX at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
  • Both teams expect near full strength, with only Arizona lineman Michael Wooten and SMU edge rusher DJ Warner publicly opting out.
  • SMU features a top-15 passing attack at roughly 283.5 yards per game against Arizona’s fourth-ranked pass defense allowing about 155.9 yards.
  • Redshirt juniors Noah Fifita and Kevin Jennings headline at quarterback, with Fifita earning first-team All-Big 12 honors and Jennings set to return to SMU in 2026.
  • Arizona rides a five-game win streak and is a slight favorite (about 1.5–2.5 points), though some predictive models forecast SMU to cover.