Arizona’s appearance in Friday night’s Trust & Will Holiday Bowl marks the Wildcats’ first trip to Snapdragon Stadium since helping San Diego State open the new stadium three years ago in record 100-degree heat.

“I remember it was hot,” Arizona quarterback Noah Fafita, who is from Huntington Beach, said following Tuesday’s practice at the University of San Diego. “I remember it was a coincidence because we were from Tucson, Arizona, and that’s probably the hottest game I’ve ever been a part of.

“It was awesome to be able to come home (to Southern California). I had a lot of family there, as I will on Friday night. … It’s just nice to be able to come home to finish off a great season at home.”

The temperature at kickoff for the bowl game is expected to be 63 degrees, but Arizona is coming in hot.

The No. 21-ranked Wildcats (9-3), who joined the Big 12 last season, are looking for their 10th win in a turnaround season for second-year head coach Brent Brennan, who guided the team to a 4-8 record last year after being hired from San Jose State.

Arizona is riding a five-game winning streak, highlighted by a 23-7 win over archrival Arizona State in the last week of the regular season. Other victories in the streak came over Colorado (52-17), Kansas (24-20), Cincinnati (30-24) and Baylor (41-17).

The offense

Scoring: 32.6 ppg (26th in the nation). Passing: 254.4 ypg (37th). Rushing: 150.4 ypg (77th). Total: 404.8 ypg (47th). Giveaways: 12 (T-18th, 7 interceptions, 5 fumbles lost).

Fifita (247-for-385, 2,963 yards, 26 TDs passing/101 carries, 143 yards, 3 TDs rushing) is a dual-threat QB who spreads the ball around but relies on receivers Kris Hutson (57 catches, 740 yards, 4 TDs), Javin Whatley (38-443, 4 TD) and Tre Spivey (21-359, 6 TD) for most of the production. Running backs Ismail Mahdi (123 carries, 791 yards, 4 TD) and Kedrick Reescano (83-394, 9 TD) balance the offense.

The defense

Scoring: 18.9 ppg, 19th. Passing: 155.9 ypg (4th). Rushing: 145.7 (64th). Total: 301.6 ypg (16th). Takeaways: 28 (T-3rd, 19 interceptions, 9 fumble recoveries)

The Wildcats’ plus-16 turnover margin leads the nation. Defensive standouts include defensive backs Dalton Johnson (97 tackles, 4 INT, 7 pass breakups), Genesis Smith (77 tackles, 8 pass breakups) and Treydan Stukes (52 tackles, 4 INT, 6 pass breakups) and linebacker Taye Brown (84 tackles).

Bowl history

Arizona is 10-11-1 in 22 previous bowl appearances. The Wildcats defeated Oklahoma 38-24 in the 2023 Alamo Bowl in the team’s last bowl game. The Wildcats have made two previous trips to the Holiday Bowl, beating Nebraska 23-20 in the 1998 game for a school-record 12th victory and No. 4 final ranking in the AP poll. Arizona lost to the Cornhuskers 33-0 in the 2009 Holiday Bowl.

Did you know?

Arizona’s staff includes several members with local ties. Senior defensive specialist Chuck Cecil and football alumni/high school relations coordinator Brandon Sanders are both Helix High School graduates who starred at Arizona before playing in the NFL. Cecil is a College Football Hall of Famer who was a Pro Bowl safety during his NFL seven seasons.

Associate head coach/defensive line Joe Salave’a is an Oceanside High School graduate who starred at defensive tackle for Arizona before a nine-year NFL career that included a stint in 2003 with the Chargers. Defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales spent seven years on SDSU’s coaching staff, including a year as DC. Linebackers coach Josh Bringuel was a linebacker at SDSU from 2016-19. Assistant coach for the defense Tariq Thompson is a St. Augustine High School graduate who played safety at SDSU from 2017-20.