Holiday Bowl live updates: SMU vs. No. 17 Arizona
SMU plays its regular season finale against Arizona in the Will and Trust Holiday Bowl at 7 p.m. CT on Fox. Follow this page for live updates.
Wildcats cut into SMU lead
01/02/2026 09:59:40 PMThe Mustang offense has been ice cold since the start of the second half, and Arizona is taking advantage. This time, the Wildcats went 66 yards on 10 plays, taking 5:23 off the clock. Fifita scrambled around and somehow found wide receiver Tre Spivey in the back of the end zone on fourth down. SMU needs to respond and put this game away. The Mustangs lead 24-12 with 8:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.
End of third quarter: SMU 24, Arizona 6
01/02/2026 09:39:33 PMOutside of a 96-yard touchdown drive for Arizona, the third quarter was relatively quiet. A dumb interception from Jennings gave the ball back to Arizona. The Wildcat offense started the next drive strong, but eventually turned the ball over on downs. SMU will begin the fourth quarter with the ball and an 18-point lead.
Touchdown Arizona
01/02/2026 09:26:30 PMA 15-play 96-yard drive allowed Arizona to score its first points of the game. Fifita found wide receiver Javin Whitley over the middle for the 28-yard strike. SMU still leads, 24-6, with 2:32 left in the third quarter. Arizona tried to make it a two possession game by going for two, but was stuffed short of the goal line.
Halftime: SMU 24, Arizona 0
01/02/2026 08:32:02 PMSMU played a near-perfect half in San Diego. The offense totaled 328 yards of offense, while the defense held Arizona to 132 yards and zero points. Kevin Jennings is 18-23 for 248 yards, and TJ Harden has 40 yards plus two touchdowns. Arizona will get the ball to start the second half, but have A LOT to work out in the next 20 minutes.
The Mustangs are dominating Arizona
01/02/2026 08:10:19 PMSMU picked up right where it left off to start the second quarter. A beautiful mix of run and pass plays led to a 16-play 94-yard touchdown drive. Tight end Stone Eby fought is way into the end zone from one-yard out to extend SMU’s lead. The Mustangs are all over Arizona, 21-0 with 9:02 remaining in the first half.
End of first quarter: SMU 14, Arizona 0
01/02/2026 07:56:05 PMSMU completely dominated the opening 15 minutes. From an early 80-yard flea flicker, to forcing errant throws of Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, SMU was all over the field. The Mustangs are driving to start the second quarter. They will begin with a 1st-and-10 from the SMU 44-yard line.
SMU adding to its early lead
01/02/2026 07:45:10 PMTJ Harden capped off another stellar drive from the SMU offense, especially Kevin Jennings. Jennings is 8-10 for 165 yards, while Harden has four rushing yards, but two touchdowns. The Mustangs are firing on all cylinders in the first quarter, leading 14-0 with 3:40 remaining.
Early fireworks from the Mustangs!
01/02/2026 07:08:27 PMSMU opened up the game with an 80-yard flea flicker from Jennings to tight end Matthew Hibner to get the Mustangs down to the one-yard line. From there, running back TJ Harden punched in his rush for the touchdown. Mustangs lead 7-0 with 13:52 left in the first quarter. A great start to the game for SMU, who quickly exposed the inexperienced Arizona secondary.
How to watch 2026 Holiday Bowl
Friday, January 2, 2026 – 7 p.m. CT
[RV/RV] SMU (8-4, 6-2 ACC) vs [20/21] Arizona (9-3, 6-3 Big 12)
Snapdragon Stadium – San Diego, Calif.
TV: Fox
Radio: The Ticket – KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM | Sirius XM 84
Streaming: SMU App (Google Play | Apple App Store)
Spread for SMU vs. Arizona
The Mustangs opened as a 3.5-point underdog against Arizona, but now SMU is favored by -2.5 according to BetMGM. As kickoff draws near, the momentum is with the Mustangs. The total is set at 52.5 points.
