TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – Two college football teams, Miami (Ohio) and Fresno State, are spending their Christmas Eve in Tucson as they prepare for the Arizona Bowl on Saturday. This is the second year the game is sponsored by Snoop Dogg.
Fresno State arrived to the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort and Spa Wednesday evening where staff and family greeted the team with cheers. One Mom made the trip to see her son live out his dreams on the sidelines.
“So he’s been playing since he was five. He was always the smallest, the proudest, the hardest working. I’m more than proud to be living out his dreams,” Maria Maxie Whitfield, the mother of a Fresno State coach, said.
Johnathan Whitfield is the man behind those dreams. Whitfield is an offensive analyst for the Bulldogs. This season’s his first on a Division I coaching staff.
The team is led by Head Coach Matt Entz, who is in his first year as head coach of a FBS school. He will compete against Miami (Ohio’s) Frank Martin on Saturday. Entz told reporters Wednesday he had the opportunity to join Martin at Miami years ago.
“It’ll be good to see Chuck, you know at some point. If it’s Saturday before the game or whatever it is,” he said. “Got a ton of respect, he’s done an unbelievable job at Miami of Ohio, he’s been really successful everywhere he’s been,” Entz said.
Miami (Ohio) will be seeking a second straight win at “The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop” on Saturday, while Fresno State aims for the trophy and their ninth win of the season.
“Go Doooogs, we’re so happy to be here, it’s Christmas time, everyone’s happy, you can’t ask for anything better,” Maxie Whitfield told News 4 Tucson.
Both teams will practice Thursday afternoon, and the festivities will continue with a player party at the Tucson Convention Center on Christmas night.