Seen and heard: Fans (and horses) return for Arizona Bowl, Ohio U honors Mike Leach — and more

Local vibes

Fans entering Friday’s Arizona Bowl were greeted by the unofficial sound of Tucson: mariachi music.

Marciachis lined Sixth Street near the two fan entrances. Once inside, fans could watch another band perform from under the west-side stands. Thirty minutes before kickoff, a band playing “Sabor a Mi” drew a sizable crowd.

Fans — and horses — return to Arizona Stadium

The last time fans were allowed at the Arizona Bowl, the Wyoming Cowboys were in town. That was three years ago.

Since then, Ball State routed a San Jose State affected by the pandemic in a fanless Arizona Stadium in 2020. Last year’s game was canceled due to — you guessed it — the pandemic.

Friday marked the first time fans watched an Arizona Bowl live in 1,095 days.

Both Ohio and Wyoming brought their bands, cheerleaders and mascots — even “Cowboy Joe V”, a miniature horse that trots on the field when the Cowboys take the field before every game.

Tarp time

The lower bowl of Arizona Stadium was mostly full for Friday’s game, providing for good optics on the Barstool-produced game broadcast. The east side’s upper deck was closed to fans. Instead, it was covered by tarps promoting Taco Bell, UFC Fight Pass, Barstool Sports, NOVA Home Loans and Tucson Federal Credit Union.

Arizona Bowl signage covered up other ads throughout the stadium (including one for, sniff, The Wildcaster). Inside the ZonaZoo, Rio Nuevo banners urged fans to “Visit Downtown Tucson.” Which reminds us …

(Day-) After Party

The Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl will host a New Year’s Eve party downtown on Saturday night. The event takes place at Fifth Street and Toole Avenue, features a concert by Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, a “silent disco,” food trucks and beer stations. Admission is free.

A midnight “taco drop” will ring in 2023.

Famous alums

Wyoming has produced 92 NFL draft picks through the years, none more valuable than current Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and former Dolphins running back Jim Kiick. Ohio has produced 39 NFL Draft picks, including former NFL offensive lineman Jonathan Goodwin (who started his career with the Bobcats before transferring to Michigan) and former Ravens punter Dave Zastudil.

OK, so Wyoming wins when it comes to football. But the Cowboys can hardly top Ohio U’s list of famous former students, which includes Al Bundy, Jay Pritchett, Bart Simpson and MacGyver — or at least the actors who play them.

Television stars Richard Dean Anderson (“MacGyver”), Nancy Cartwright (“The Simpsons”) and Ed O’Neill (“Married ... With Children” and “Modern Family”) were all Bobcats, as were legendary actor Paul Newman, baseball Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall — it’s a master’s degree; he went to ASU for undergrad — and basketball coach Bob Huggins.

O’Neill played two years of defensive line for the Bobcats before transferring to Youngstown State. The NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers cut him in training camp.

Oh, and YouTuber Logan Paul pursued an engineering degree at Ohio before dropping out.

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Paying homage to the Pirate

Ohio wore helmet decals honoring Mike Leach, the Mississippi State football coach who died earlier this month at age 61.

The creative Leach would’ve loved the Bobcats’ sticker, which featured Leach wearing an eyepatch and the phrase “Swing Your Sword”. The O and U in sword were highlighted white for Ohio University.

Barstool boys

Leading up to kickoff, Barstool personality Dan “Big Cat” Katz sang the national anthem. At the end, fireworks launched from the top of the Sands Club and a group of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base jets conducted a flyover. Just before kickoff, members of DMAFB’s “Wings of Blue” parachuted in at 120 miles per hour.

In the first half, Barstool personality Taylor Lewan — a Scottsdale native and longtime NFL offensive lineman — orchestrated a field-goal contest.

Taste of Tucson

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who is renowned for his cross-country pizza reviews, inquired about Mexican food restaurants on Twitter the day before the Arizona Bowl.

Among the popular recommendations from people with Tucson ties: El Charro, El Guero Canelo and Guadalajara. Portnoy and several Barstool employees braved the long wait at Mi Nidito, which has hosted Bill Clinton, Enrique Iglesias, Jim Furyk, Willie Nelson, Steve Kerr, Fran Tarkenton, Paul Rodriguez and William Shatner, among other notable celebrities.

On a scale to 10, Portnoy rated Mi Nidito an 8.1. He said he wasn’t a fan of the smaller booths and long wait during the restaurant’s dinner rush.

“Can’t wait 90 minutes for food anywhere,” he said on the game broadcast.

By the numbers

3 — Number of Arizona natives on both teams’ rosters. All three are reserve quarterbacks. Mesa Red Mountain High School product Evan Svoboda is the only Arizonan on Wyoming’s roster, while Ohio boasts two: Kadin Beler of Scottsdale Arcadia High School and Parker Navarro of Phoenix Desert Vista. Navarro is a transfer from UCF.

$10-$15.50 — Beer prices at Friday’s game. The selection included Arizona Bowl Brew, a Vienna lager made by Barrio Brewing.

62 — Temperature, in degrees, at Friday’s kickoff. Temperature in Athens, Ohio was 52 degrees; Laramie, Wyoming was 29 degrees.

22 — At the end of the first quarter, members of Arizona’s 22 tribal nations were honored. Representatives walked from end zone to end zone hoisting flags of their respective Native American tribes.

$10,000 — Dick’s Sporting Goods and the Arizona Bowl donated $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Tucson on Thursday.

$1 million — The Arizona Bowl and Barstool partnered to create the Barstool Fund and give over $1 million to statewide businesses who were affected by the pandemic. Grantees will earn anywhere from $25,000-$30,000. Businesses can apply for the grant at Barstool.link/AZBowlFund.

Photos: Ohio vs. Wyoming in the 2022 Arizona Bowl