In a game dominated by field goals, and just a single touchdown, the Fresno State Bulldogs (9-4) defeated the Miami (OH) University RedHawks (7-7) 18-3 at Casino del Sol Stadium in Tucson on December 27.
In the 11th iteration of the Arizona Bowl in a stadium filled with 37,232 fans and a kick-off temperature of 68°, the pre-game activities, which has become as much of a sought after experience as the game itself, included the Gin & Juice Tailgate Festival, featuring Snoop Dogg delighting the tailgate crowd firing a t-shirt cannon atop a double decker bus, the delivery of the game ball via the Wings of Blue Parachute Team, the National Anthem performed by Voice finalist Ralph Edwards, and the coin toss executed by Snoop Dogg himself. After all the festivities it was time for football.
Snoop Dogg fielding a live kickoff in his own bowl 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/N4wfLrI4OT
— McNeil (@REFLOG18) December 27, 2025
Both offenses struggled for much of the first quarter; Miami was first to put points on the board with a 33-yard field goal from Dom Dzioban. That would be the only time the Redhawks lit the scoreboard.
The Bulldogs absolutely dominated time of possession, holding the football for just under thirty nine minutes. With that kind of grinding offense, a few field goals and one lone touchdown would be plenty to lift the trophy in Tucson. The stat sheet would clearly tell that story with the Bulldogs outgaining Miami 396 to 192 in total yards.
Turnovers will haunt the Miami staff as Fresno State came up with one interception, one fumble recovery, two fourth down stops, and a blocked punt. With less than seven minutes to go in the second quarter, a Miami punt was blocked and recovered by Fresno State’s Jonathan Arceneaux at the 10-yard line. Three attempts later brought out the field goal unit, which converted, leaving our halftime score in favor of Fresno State, 9-3.
An entirely scoreless third frame left hope for Miami, but the game’s first and only touchdown came at the 11:12 mark in the fourth quarter, E.J. Warner found Anderson III on a two-yard pass. Fresno State attempted a two-point conversion but failed. With just over 11 minutes to go in the game, the Dogs lead felt insurmountable, and it proved to be just that. Fresno State would add one more field goal and Matt Entz won his first ever Bowl game as a Head Coach. Quarterback E.J. Warner was awarded the Raising Cane’s Most Valuable Player, completing 15-22 passing for 219 yards and a touchdown. The pride Coach Entz has for his players was the leading theme of his post-game comments. “We have locker room full of tremendous competitors, with great character, just people you want to be around.”
On the short end of the final score, Head Coach Chuck Martin praised his defense and but knew that two turnovers and chunk plays would prove fatal, “We had the two turnovers, they didn’t have any, in a low tight scoring defense game turnovers and chunk plays are everything.”
In his second appearance as the namesake of the Arizona Bowl, Snoop Dogg was a force himself, appearing at the tailgate, flipping the coin, leading the university bands at halftime, doing some color commentary in the booth with crew from CW Sports, and of course delivering the game winning trophy in true Snoop style, from the back of a ’64 Impala low rider, Snoop even made a diving catch on a kickoff that cleared the endzone and headed right towards him.
The celebrations will continue December 31 at the Taco Bell New Year’s Eve Downtown Bowl Bash, Tucson’s take on Times Square, beginning at 6:00 pm MST at Jacome Plaza near the intersection of Church Avenue and Pennington Street. Live music will be performed throughout the evening, with a special performance by the Lucky Devils Band. The Bash-worthy lineup will also include a Silent Disco presented by Tucson Federal Credit Union, food trucks and beer stations, and the world-renowned taco drop at midnight followed by a spectacular firework show presented by O’Rielly Chevrolet.
Waste of time on a game that has nothing to do with anything except $$$!
FRESNO wins the FIG BOWL!
GO BULLDOGS!