Arizona has been waiting for its bowl destination and opponent for more than a week following its win over Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona. Today, the Wildcats learned that their destination was San Diego and their opponent was the SMU Broncos.
Arizona will have a chance to win its 10th win of the season. This will be the second 10-win season in two years and the fifth in program history.
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These are the words of the head coach Brent Brennan On his team’s appearance in the Holiday Bowl:
Brennan’s overall thoughts on being selected to the Holiday Bowl: “Obviously, it’s a great day for us. We’re very excited about the Holiday Bowl. It’s obviously one of the best bowl games in the country. We’re going to be at SMU Coming up against an important opponent. Our team has worked really hard and they’ve played some really good football this season. I think it’s just a great reward and the experience of planning a big bowl game against an important opponent, especially for our fans and our fans, being close to Arizona State alumni and having so many alumni who live in California. A lot of our players are from California, so for me it was a great morning with our team, just some camaraderie, some laughs, some smiles, some good food, so we can’t wait to get started and get everything set up and we can’t wait for this big football game.”
On Arizona’s experience playing in the 1998 Holiday Bowl with his brother, Brad: “It was awesome, like it was just a super tough game. We had a whole bunch of family and friends there watching the game. Obviously, Arizona had just had an amazing season before that and Nebraska was a great opponent and Crouch was their quarterback, right? A Heisman Trophy winner. At the time, it was like, You know, that’s when Nebraska was at a crazy level, right? So, it was just a big football game and it was fun. Brad did something in that game and scored a touchdown and got a kickback, which is a really great memory for me, so remember what a special time it was.”
On what the San Diego Bowl means to fans: “We can’t wait. It’s a cool thing because a lot of people live in Arizona, vacation there, have homes there or spend time there. So it’s an incredible pairing for us. Not to mention we have a lot of alumni who live in San Diego County and Los Angeles, so that part is exciting because we know our fans are going to be at the games and they’re going to make that environment great and we can’t wait to see it.”
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On what it means for players like Dalton Johnson and Tre’Dan Stokes to stay with their teammates for an extra month: “I think it’s really special. We’ve been talking all year about how connected this team is and how much they care about each other. Obviously, when you talk about these guys, they’ve played really well as a backup and on defense, but these guys have also been incredible leaders for us, right? Just these guys have been here their entire careers. “
On the importance of participating in a bowl game when other teams reject bowl bids: “I think it’s critical for us. I think it’s critical for us in a lot of ways. Number one, I think it’s important because we have a really good football team this year and we’re going to be competing against SMU To have a great game. So we get a chance to play against another really good opponent from a part of the country that really respects football. They were a playoff team a year ago and I think that’s critical for the development of the team. A lot of them were young and they were growing and developing, so these extra practices will give them an opportunity to get coached and get on the field, I think.”
On what to expect while waiting for an official bowl invitation: “I found out four hours ago, you know what I mean? So, that part has been so busy. We’ve been working on the schedule and all that kind of stuff. We’ll start game planning tomorrow. I think the Notre Dame thing, it’s like those players make those decisions, or those programs make those decisions. So they have their reasons. “
On his experience in the bowl game: “Well, I think it really depends, a couple things. It depends on what kind of team you play, is it a fun team? How connected are they? Our guys are really excited about the process of going to different places and playing against new opponents. That’s one of the cool things about the bowl system, you get to play against opponents that you don’t play often, right? The games are completely unique. So, I think that part is really a special part and I think when we found out this was SMU “We all know how good they are, so we know we have a big football game in San Diego in a month, right? So that part is great, but every bowl game is different because it’s a different location, a different venue, a different opponent.”
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About tourism logistics: “So the players will go home for Christmas and have a couple days off there in between. And then I believe we’ll go out on the 29th. I think that’s what we plan to do now. They’ll train here that morning and then fly out that afternoon, kind of like what we usually do when we play on the road.”
On managing signing day, bowl prep and holidays: “Honestly, I don’t think it’s any different than the season. During the season, we’re also working through the recruiting class, and like recruiting never stops. That part. So for us, it doesn’t feel that different, so the preparation will be based on doing whatever we need to do to have the best plan and the best process to play great football when we go into the Holiday Bowl on January 2nd against SMU, right? That’s going to be the focus of the next three games, “I know there’s Christmas there, I know there’s an open door and all that stuff, but at the end of the day we’ve got work to do and that happens on January 2. That’s where our hearts and minds need to be. “
About the fun and preparation for the Balance Bowl game: “I think with this team, I think they’ll understand that. This team has been business-focused from the beginning, and I think they’re going to have a great time, they’re going to enjoy the experience, but they also understand what got us to where we are today, but what makes us work hard every day toward a common goal. I don’t think they’ll forget that.”
On his past experience with Rhett Lashlee: “So I know Red a little bit. Obviously, he’s a really good guy and a really good football coach. I really have a lot of respect for him and the staff there and what they’ve done together.”
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On Holiday Bowl-winning coach getting thrown eggnog: “I prefer eggnog to mayonnaise. I promise you, but it sounds great. We’re going to do whatever it takes to make it happen.”
On Arizona’s five-game winning streak: “I think for us it’s really about the week-to-week season. Every game is its own thing, every step of playing good football and winning games is what it’s all about. That’s it. The coaches have responded to that well and all our players have a clear understanding of what the expectations are and what we Want to get something done. So that’s it, the bottom line. I don’t care who we play next week or two weeks from now, we’re going to do whatever it takes to play good football this week to give us a chance to win on Saturday, so that’s our focus, that’s the process-driven focus.”
On the importance of coaching stability and retaining key support staff: “It’s absolutely critical. I think leadership is very important. Obviously, in the college football world, it’s important as well. When you look at what’s happened over the past two or three weeks, I think getting our staff together is the most important thing I can do right now, and that’s what we’re working on. I think we’re making good progress in getting Coach Dorje and Coach Gonzalez here long-term, and I’m excited about that. They’re great. The coaches, great guys, we’re on track. In terms of making progress, I think consistency of message, consistency of process, consistency of leadership is really important to building a high-level organization and I really think that’s one of the things that’s absolutely critical for us and we’re fortunate in that we have good consistency with our athletic director and our president, which is important and they’ve been very supportive of us over the last few weeks and I like that. We’re going off now and I’m optimistic about the future.”
On Noah Fifita, Stokes and Johnson winning all Big 12 honors: “These guys are incredible guys. And then their leadership is effortless and consistent and they’re not afraid to do it. I think to have a good football team, you have to have great leadership from the seniors. All of those guys have been in this program a long time. Dalton and Stokes, obviously longer than Noah, but you know, when your best players are your best leaders, you have an opportunity to do some really sexy and fun things, and that’s what those guys did. . So when you look at their consistency the game also follows up with how consistent they are in their leadership roles, whether it’s the voice, whether it’s the driving force on the team, whether it’s throwing the hammer like that doesn’t matter, but there’s obviously a lot of other guys that are first-team all-conference that get a lot of recognition for that, but there’s a lot of other seniors that have been critical to our football team’s leadership team that have had a very, very big impact on our success.”