Overview
- SMU built a 24-0 halftime lead at Snapdragon Stadium and held off Arizona for a 24-19 win.
- The result ended a five-game bowl losing streak and marked the program’s first bowl victory since 2012.
- In the postgame eggnog ceremony, SMU alumnus Brian Baumgartner was invited on by FOX analyst Joel Klatt.
- Baumgartner tossed the eggnog forward instead of dumping it on head coach Rhett Lashlee, leaving the coach mostly dry as photographers took the splash.
- He later said the throw was for better photos, while the bowl recognized Yamir Knight and Ahmaad Moses as offensive and defensive MVPs and noted the eggnog ritual’s 2023 origin.