SMU is a "unique challenge" for the Wildcats in the Holiday Bowl, according to Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Doege.
The Mustangs (8-4) "are big up front. I don't know if we've faced anybody as big as they are. They're pretty massive," he said.
SMU safety Ahmaad Moses celebrates on the field with fans after his team's 26-20 overtime win over Miami, Nov. 1, 2025, in Dallas.
SMU has the fourth-best rushing defense in the ACC, but is second-to-last in the conference in passing defense, surrendering 284.7 yards per game. SMU safety Ahmaad Moses is tied for the third-most interceptions (5) in college football this season; he also has 91 tackles.
SMU's passing defense appears to be a weakness that Arizona's passing attack could expose, but Doege said the Mustangs' stats "can be skewed," especially since SMU has the sixth-best red zone defense in college football.
"They're up big in a lot of games, so everyone is throwing the ball, trying to get back into the game," Doege said. "Well, of course, your passing yards are going to go up; everyone is just chunking it, trying to get back into the game. I think that's a little bit skewed, and they're a really good defense.
"They do a lot of things really well and they're good in the red zone, which has been a little bit of an inconsistency for us, so we gotta be dialed in when we get down there and score points because they're good at defending you when you get into the score zone. They're going to be a challenge and I know our guys are ready."
Doege said Arizona's opponents with a similar defense as SMU include Cincinnati and Baylor, teams that are "big up front and gave people problems."
SMU ranks 30th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 32.9 points per game; Arizona is No. 32, averaging 32.6 points per contest. SMU ranks 36th in college football in total offense, averaging 419 yards per game; Baylor and Cincinnati are Arizona's only two opponents with better offensive numbers.
Even though SMU offensive coordinator Casey Woods recently accepted a head coaching position at Missouri State, Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee hails from an offensive background.
The Lashlee-coached Mustangs have the best passing offense in the ACC this season, averaging 283.5 yards per game. SMU's leading receiver Jordan Hudson is sixth in the ACC with 749 yards and six touchdowns. Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said Hudson "is as elite as they can be" and is "very similar" to Arizona wide receiver Kris Hutson, who leads the Wildcats in receiving (740 yards).
SMU junior quarterback Kevin Jennings has the second-most passing yards (3,363) in the ACC to go along with 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. Jennings' passing yards rank 10th in college football.
SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings (7) runs with the ball against California, Nov. 29, 2025, in Berkeley, Calif.
Jennings also leads the ACC in interceptions thrown and is playing against an Arizona defense that has more takeaways (28) than touchdowns allowed (25). The plan is to get Jennings "off his spot," Gonzales said.
"In order to do that, we gotta get him rattled," Gonzales said. "He doesn't rattle easy, so it's going to be an unbelievable challenge. They're the best offense we've played all season. ... We're going to be as physical as we can on that day and find ways to confuse Kevin Jennings and that's going to be really hard to do."
