SMU wins Holiday Bowl thriller

San Diego, CA (News4UsOnline) – It’s not over until it’s over. SMU almost learned that lesson the hard way. Fortunately for the Mustangs time ran out on the Arizona Wildcats in their clash at the Will & Trust Holiday Bowl. 

SMU wasted no time showing the Wildcats why they have one of the most explosive offenses in the country. The Mustangs came into the game averaging nearly 33 points (32.9) a game. 

They nearly reached that benchmark by halftime with 24 points on the scoreboard. SMU had three drives that resulted in touchdowns. A fourth series would see the Mustangs boot a field goal to lead Arizona by a more than comfortable margin.  

The Wildcats knocked that comfort out from the Mustangs after mounting a furious second-half rally. But Arizona’s rally came up short and SMU escaped with a 24-19 win at Snapdragon Stadium. 

“Each year, we’ve been able to check things off. We talked about coming in this week with these guys, like, that’s the one thing this group hadn’t done,” SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee said. 

“We hadn’t won a bowl game, we hadn’t finished the season with a win. And to get to do it here in San Diego at a bowl as prestigious as the Holiday Bowl against Coach Brennan and a great team. It’s just a great way to cap off the season,” Lashlee added.  

SMU got it going early in bringing excitement to the game. Considering SMU’s offensive firepower, that should have been expected. The stat line from the first quarter alone gives an indication how quickly and often the Mustangs can move the football and put up points. 

By the end of the first period, SMU had produced eight first downs. Arizona could muster four first downs. The Mustangs put up 187 yards passing. The Wildcats generated a grand total of four yards through the air in the opening stanza. 

By halftime, SMU’s dominance over Arizona was clear and thorough. 

SMU’s offensive blitz started on the first play from scrimmage. The Mustangs came out the gate and scored the game’s first touchdown a play after quarterback Kevin Jennings connected with tight end Matthew Hibner for 80 yards. 

The Jennings-to-Hibner strike was the bowl game’s longest pass play. Running back TJ Harden then hit paydirt with a 1-yard touchdown run. The shock and awe of SMU’s daring trick play caught Arizona off guard. 

Hibner was basically left alone down the right sideline when Jennings hit him in stride after the Mustangs perfectly executed the flea-flicker.

Arizona was not able to answer the Mustangs on their opening series. They didn’t do much on their second series as well. SMU didn’t have that problem. Jennings led the Mustangs for their second score of the night, a 3-yard touchdown run by Harden.

The first quarter for the Wildcats would be one they would rather forget. Arizona got their hands on the ball offensively for three possessions and did nothing with them. If it was not ineffectiveness that derailed a couple of drives, penalties did the trick for the Wildcats. 

By intermission, the Wildcats were on the short end of the scoreboard and the stat sheet. SMU had 328 yards in offense. On the other hand, Arizona limped into the locker room with 132 yards with zero points. 

“We couldn’t have played much better in the first half,” Lashlee remarked. “Nobody has done that to Arizona’s defense all year … And they just played lights out. Really, about the only blip was that we had to settle for a field goal on that last drive of the first half. We played excellently.”

Jennings and the Mustangs looked to pour it on Arizona when they got their hands on the ball in the third quarter. However, Jennings got a little too greedy as he tried to hit the home ball with a deep pass down the middle of the field to wide receiver Jordan Hudson. 

Hudson, who was matched up with a single defender, had the ball ripped from his hands by Arizona’s Michael Dansby. The Wildcats capitalized on Jennings’ error by cashing in with a touchdown of their own following the interception.

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita hit Javin Whatley for a 28-yard touchdown.

Then this is when things started to get interesting. On SMU’s next possession, Jennings wildly threw the ball up for grabs on a third down play, and got picked off for a second time in the game. 

However, the Wildcats were not able to take advantage of the miscue, and SMU got a reprieve. 

Not for long, though. Fifita led Arizona down the field for their second score to close the scoring gap. Arizona had a chance to make it a 10-point ballgame, but failed to convert the two-point attempt.

But the momentum had shifted. Arizona was starting to find its legs. Meanwhile, SMU was just trying to hang on for the win. With SMU trying to end the game with a final drive, Jennings threw his third interception of the night, this time right into the hands of Arizona’s Riley Wilson. 

Fifita and the Wildcats had one final touchdown in them to make the end margin close, but that would close out their comeback. Nevertheless, Arizona head coach Brent Brennan was extremely proud of his ballclub. 

“We made it a game in that second half,” Brennan said. “One of the things I told the team is that the truth is, we didn’t play well enough in the first half to win it, and that starts with me. But I love the way this team responded. I love the heart and the fight in this team, and to get back in it the way they did.”

Cover Photo: SAN DIEGO, CA – JANUARY 02: SMU Mustangs wide receiver Yamir Knight (8) catches the ball for a gain during the 46th Annual Trust & Will Holiday Bowl between the Arizona Wildcats and the SMU Mustangs on January 2, 2026, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire)