The drought is finally over for SMU football.
In what turned out to be an ugly second-half performance from their offense, the Mustangs fought off a second-half comeback from No. 20 Arizona to win the Holiday Bowl by a score of 24-19 on Friday, Jan. 2 inside Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
It’s the first bowl for the Mustangs since the 2012 Hawaii Bowl.
Stream the Holiday Bowl live with Fubo (free trial)
After putting up 328 total yards of offense and 24 points in the first half — with 14 of them courtesy of running back T.J. Harden — the Wildcats defense made some second half adjustments and held SMU scoreless, allowing only 64 yards after halftime.
Following a first half in which it committed five penalties for 50 yards, Arizona was able to get back into the game thanks to back-to-back interceptions from Jennings to begin the third quarter. The Wildcats could only cut the deficit to five points following Noah Fifita’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Barmore with 33 seconds remaining in the game.
Jennings completed 21-of-32 passes for 278 yards and three interceptions, while Fifita completed 28-of-43 passes for 265 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Both teams finish the season with a 9-4 overall record.
USA TODAY Sports provided live updates from the game. Follow along for a recap:
Arizona vs SMU live score
This section will be updated.
Arizona vs SMU live updates
This section has been updated with new information
Final score: SMU 24, Arizona 19
SMU recovers onside kick, wins Holiday Bowl
SMU recovers the onside kick attempt from Arizona, and Kevin Jennings takes the knee to give the Mustangs the 24-19 win in the Holiday Bowl. A valiant second-half comeback from the Wildcats comes up short in San Diego.
Arizona scores TD
The Wildcats aren’t going away yet. Noah Fifita tosses one up to Cameron Barmore in the back of the end zone on third-and-10 for the 15-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 24-19. It’s the 29th touchdown pass of the season from Fifita.
Arizona will now look to recover the onside kick with 33 seconds remaining in the game.
SMU punts
SMU is forced to send out the punt unit as Kevin Jennings is two yards short of the first down. If Jennings had dived instead of slid forward on the field, he would have picked up the first down and the Mustangs could have let the clock run down.
Arizona will now look to drive down the field for a touchdown at its own 25-yard line with 2:43 left on the clock. The Wildcats have no timeouts remaining.
SMU intercepts Noah Fifita
SMU’s Alexander Kilgore comes up with a huge interception for the Mustangs defense, and that should be enough for SMU to put this game away … barring another turnover. It’s the first true mistake by Noah Fifita on the night.
The Mustangs are just over three minutes away from their first bowl win in over a decade.
Arizona intercepts Kevin Jennings
Just when it looks like SMU fixed its struggles on offense, Kevin Jennings throws his third interception of the second half. It looks like Jennings didn’t see Arizona’s Riley Wilson in his progressions, and because of that the Wildcats have a chance to cut this deficit further.
Arizona cuts deficit with TD pass
SMU nearly brings down Noah Fifita, but the Arizona quarterback dodges the tackle and throws a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tre Spivey on fourth-and-2 instead. The Wildcats are unsuccessful on the 2-point conversion.
The Mustangs now lead 24-12 with 8:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.
SMU punts
SMU’s second-half offensive struggles continue as the Mustangs go three-and-out for the third consecutive drive. Arizona’s offense heads back onto the field after 57 seconds of game time on the bench with a shot to bring the score closer.
End of third quarter: SMU 24, Arizona 6
Arizona turns ball over on downs
SMU’s defense bails Kevin Jennings out by forcing another turnover on downs on the final play of the third quarter. Given its field goal kicking troubles this season, Arizona elected to go for it on fourth-and-6 at the SMU 10-yard line, but Noah Fifita missed his target in the end zone.
The Mustangs take over at their own 10-yard line with a 24-6 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Arizona intercepts Kevin Jennings
The tables are beginning to turn in the second half, as Arizona picks up its second interception of the night off of Kevin Jennings after a brief game of hot potato as players from both teams fight for the ball in the air.
It’s back-to-back drives with a poor decision by Jennings. The Wildcats now start with short field position at SMU’s 44-yard line.
Noah Fifita throws 28-yard TD pass
Arizona is finally on the board thanks to a 28-yard touchdown pass from Noah Fifita to Javin Whatley near the back of the end zone. The Wildcats then try for the 2-point conversion, but it is unsuccessful.
It’s the first drive where the Wildcats were able to drive down the field without being called for a penalty …progress! The drive was 15 plays for 96 yards and took 7:31 off the game clock.
Arizona intercepts Kevin Jennings
Kevin Jennings’ first mistake of the game comes in the third quarter with an underthrown pass on the run intended for Jordan Hudson. The third-and-4 pass from Jennings is intercepted at the 4-yard line by Michael Dansby.
Arizona turns it over on downs
SMU’s defensive Terry Webb stuffs Arizona running back Quincy Craig on fourth-and-1 to force the second turnover on downs of the night for the Wildcats’ defense.
Self-inflicted penalties continue to hurt Arizona’s offense from getting into a rhythm. This time, it was a false start penalty on third-and-1 that held the Wildcats back from extending their drive.
End of first half: SMU 24, Arizona 0
The first half comes to a close on an 11-yard carry from Arizona running back Ismail Mahdi on first-and-10. SMU heads into the locker room with a commanding 24-0 lead after a full-out dominating first 30 minutes of action in the Holiday Bowl.
Kevin Jennings completed 18-of-23 passes for 248 yards, while Noah Fifita completed 7-of-13 passes for 43 yards.
The Wildcats were unable to find a rhythm offensively in the first half, as they were held to just 132 total yards of offense. A reason behind that struggle can be pointed to the Wildcats’ self-inflicted wounds: four penalties for 45 yards.
SMU extends lead with field goal
SMU extends its lead to 24-0 just before halftime with a 24-yard field goal from Sam Keltner. It’s the first time that SMU has gotten into the red zone and not scored a touchdown on the night.
The Mustangs have created a total of 328 yards of offense compared to Arizona’s 111.
Arizona turns ball over on downs
Down three possessions and on SMU’s side of the field for the first time, Arizona elects to go for it on fourth-and-2. It, however, doesn’t work out for the Wildcats as Tyren Polley Jr. breaks up Noah Fifita’s pass attempt for a turnover on downs.
SMU gets the ball back at its own 35-yard line with 5:23 remaining until halftime.
SMU extends lead with TD
Stone Eby takes the inside handoff from Kevin Jennings, and it results in the 1-yard rushing touchdown to extend SMU’s lead to 21-0 over Arizona. It’s all Mustangs in this one, as SMU has now scored a touchdown on three of its first four drives.
The scoring drive was 16 plays for 94 yards and took 6:47 off the game clock. Something to monitor for SMU is T.J. Harden, who was brought to the sidelines after going down weirdly on a 2-yard carry to set up Eby’s score.
End of first quarter: SMU 14, Arizona 0
SMU continues to feed T.J. Harden and he picks up 13 yards for a new set of downs on the final play of the first quarter. The Mustangs head into the second quarter on their own 40-yard line with a 14-0 lead over Arizona.
The Wildcats struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the opening frame, as SMU’s defense held Arizona to just 71 total yards of offense, with all but four of those coming on the ground. Quarterback Noah Fifita was 3-of-7 passing for four yards.
Kevin Jennings has been excellent for SMU, as he went 9-of-12 passing for 187 yards in the first quarter.
T.J. Harden scores second TD of game
T.J. Harden bounces off the left side and pushes through defenders into the end zone to extend SMU’s lead in the Holiday Bowl to 14-0. It’s the second touchdown of the night for Harden.
Kevin Jennings added to his hot start with a pair of nice throws on SMU’s eight-play drive: a 31-yard pass up the left sideline to Jalen Cooper and a 21-yard pass to Yamir Knight on the RPO. He’s 8-of-10 passing for 165 yards to begin the night.
The drive itself was eight plays for 87 yards and took 3:12 off the game clock.
Yamir Knight makes ridiculous catch for SMU
Kevin Jennings airs one up on third-and-11, and Yamir Knight comes up with an impressive catch that ends with him making a spin in the air over an Arizona defender. The Mustangs end up punting the ball back to the Wildcats a few plays later.
Arizona punts
SMU cornerback Marcellus Barnes Jr. breaks up Noah Fifita’s throw on third down, and Arizona sends out the punt unit. The Wildcats were unable to recover from an ineligible man downfield penalty.
T.J. Harden scores SMU touchdown
T.J. Harden punches it in from the 1-yard line to give SMU the opening drive touchdown score. The big play of the drive came on the second play of the drive when Kevin Jennings was able to connect with Matthew Hibner for an 80-yard catch, the longest catch in Holiday Bowl history.
What a start for the Mustangs, who drove down the field for 83 yards in three plays and 56 seconds to take the early lead.
Arizona wins toss, SMU starts with ball
Arizona wins the coin toss and defers the opening kickoff to the second half. That means Kevin Jennings and the SMU offense will start with the ball first. We’re just about ready for kickoff in San Diego!
Pregame
Arizona takes field for Holiday Bowl
With kickoff just 30 minutes away in San Diego, Arizona takes the field for warmups at the Holiday Bowl. The Wildcats are looking for their first win in the Holiday Bowl since the 1998 season when they beat Nebraska 23-20.
SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings warming up for Holiday Bowl
SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings has taken the field to get ready for his start in the Holiday Bowl against Arizona. Jennings enters Friday’s bowl game with 3,363 passing yards and 26 touchdown passes on the season.
SMU arrives for Holiday Bowl
The Mustangs are on site for their Holiday Bowl matchup against Arizona. SMU is looking for its first bowl win since 2012, when it was still a member of Conference USA.
What time does Arizona vs SMU start?
Date: Friday, Jan. 2
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Where: Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego)
Arizona and SMU are set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 2 in the Holiday Bowl inside Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
What TV channel is Arizona vs SMU on today?
TV channel: Fox
Streaming options: Fox Sports Go app | Fubo (free trial)
Fox will broadcast the Holiday Bowl between Arizona and SMU on Jan. 2. Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt will broadcast the game from the booth at Snapdragon Stadium, with Jenny Taft reporting from the sidelines.
Streaming options for the game include the Fox Sports app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries Fox and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Stream the Holiday Bowl live with Fubo (free trial)
Arizona vs SMU predictions in Holiday Bowl
Here’s who experts within the USA TODAY Sports Network picked to win the Holiday Bowl:
Matt Hayes: Arizona
Jordan Mendoza: SMU
Paul Myerberg: Arizona
Erick Smith: Arizona
Eddie Timanus: Arizona
Blake Toppmeyer: SMU
Arizona vs SMU odds, spread for Holiday Bowl
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Jan. 1
Spread: Arizona -1.5
Over/under: 51.5
Moneyline: SMU (-105) | Arizona (-115)
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
