10 bowls that made — and broke — Arizona Wildcats football

When the 17th-ranked Arizona Wildcats face the SMU Mustangs in the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl, it'll be the 23rd bowl game for the UA. 

The Wildcats are 10-11-1 in bowl games since playing in their first postseason game over 100 years ago. 

We're highlighting 10 memorable bowl games — five wins, four losses and a tie — in Arizona's history as a program, in chronological order. 

1921 East-West Christmas Classic

Where (stadium): San Diego (Balboa Stadium)

Score: Centre Praying Colonels 38, Arizona 0

What happened: Arizona's opponent from Danville, Kentucky, made college football history before playing the Wildcats. Centre took down Harvard, 6-0, and beat a Crimson team riding a 25-game winning streak. It's considered one of the biggest upsets in college football history. In Arizona's first-ever postseason game, Centre (which now competes at the Division III level) thumped Arizona by 38 points. The Wildcats struggled to contain quarterback Bo McMillin and Centre's high-powered offense. After outscoring its previous five opponents 246-0, the Wildcats, coached by Pop McKale, had their five-game winning streak snapped.

1985 Sun Bowl

Where (stadium): El Paso (Sun Bowl)

Score: Arizona 13, Georgia 13

What happened: Earlier in the 1985 season, the Wildcats upset third-ranked SMU in Tucson and ended the regular season with a 16-13 win over Arizona State in Tempe. When Arizona faced Georgia in the Sun Bowl, both teams missed game-winning field goals on their final possession, resulting in a tie since overtime wasn't officially added until 1996. Arizona is 0-2-1 in the Sun Bowl, with losses to Auburn in 1968 and Baylor in 1992. 

1986 Aloha Bowl

Where (stadium): Honolulu (Aloha Stadium)

Score: Arizona 30, North Carolina 21

What happened: Arizona's first bowl win as a program capped head coach Larry Smith's last season at the helm, before he left for the same role at USC. Smith, who went 48-28-3 at Arizona, was replaced by Dick Tomey, who is the winningest coach in program history. Arizona led 30-7 entering the fourth quarter, and despite a 14-point rally by North Carolina in the final period, the Wildcats prevailed to win their first bowl game. Arizona defensive back Chuck Cecil, who had a 106-yard pick-six against Arizona State that season, was named Aloha Bowl MVP. 

1994 Fiesta Bowl

Where (stadium): Tempe (Sun Devil Stadium)

Score: Arizona 29, Miami 0

What happened: Arizona’s “Desert Swarm” defense, led by first-team All-Pac-10 defensive linemen Rob Waldrop (Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year) and Tedy Bruschi, was the catalyst for the Wildcats’ success under Tomey. The Wildcats were the Pac-10 co-champion with UCLA in 1993, but due to Arizona losing the head-to-head battle, the Bruins were invited to the Rose Bowl instead. Arizona throttled the Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl, the first shutout in the bowl game’s history. Bruschi and running back Chuck Levy were named Fiesta Bowl MVPs. 

1998 Holiday Bowl

Where (stadium): San Diego (Qualcomm Stadium)

Score: Arizona 23, Nebraska 20

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What happened: The Wildcats had arguably their best season in program history in 1998. It’s the only Arizona team to win 12 games and the first to have one or fewer losses since the 8-1-1 squad in 1961. Arizona began its dominant season with a three-touchdown win over Hawaii, Tomey’s previous coaching stop prior to Arizona. A month later, Arizona quarterback Ortege Jenkins led the Wildcats to a thrilling win over Washington after his “Leap by the Lake,” which remains one of the most iconic plays in UA football history. In a back-and-forth battle with Nebraska, the defending national champion, the Wildcats won the Holiday Bowl, 23-20, to punctuate the program’s historic season. 

2009 Holiday Bowl

Where (stadium): San Diego (Qualcomm Stadium)

Score: Nebraska 33, Arizona 0

What happened: Arizona went on a 10-year bowl drought after the 1998 season and won the Las Vegas Bowl in 2008, before returning to the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl in 2009 for a rematch with Nebraska, which had Heisman Trophy finalist and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The Cornhuskers clobbered the Wildcats, 33-0, which remains the only shutout win in the bowl game's 45-year history. The 2009 Holiday Bowl is the third shutout loss in the postseason for Arizona.

2012 New Mexico Bowl

Where (stadium): Albuquerque (University Stadium)

Score: Arizona 49, Nevada 48

What happened: It wasn't looking promising for Arizona to win the New Mexico Bowl. The Wildcats fell down by 21 points, but rallied back and trailed 31-28 at halftime. Nevada had a 17-point advantage entering the fourth quarter and late-game heroics by quarterback Matt Scott, wide receivers Austin Hill and Tyler Slavin and linebacker Marquis Flowers, who had an interception and recovered an onside kick, lifted the Wildcats to a one-point win. Arizona didn't lead until the final 19 seconds of the game. The New Mexico Bowl was the first part of the UA’s memorable sports day on Dec. 15, 2012, which was capped by Mark Lyons’ game-winning shot to lift the Arizona men’s basketball team to a thrilling win over fifth-ranked Florida.

2014 Fiesta Bowl

Where (stadium): Glendale (University of Phoenix Stadium)

Score: Boise State 38, Arizona 30

What happened: Arizona won the Pac-12 South Division, but lost to Oregon in the Pac-12 championship before falling to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State running back Jay Ajayi scored three touchdowns in the first half to give the Broncos a 28-7 lead. The Wildcats failed to score on their final two drives of the game and fell short. 

2017 Foster Farms Bowl

Where (stadium): Santa Clara, California (Levi's Stadium)

Score: Purdue 38, Arizona 35

What happened: Arizona unearthed a superstar quarterback in Khalil Tate, who took over for the injured Brandon Dawkins and became one of the most electric offensive players in college football. Tate is the only player in Pac-12 history to earn the conference's Offensive Player of the Week honor four straight weeks. Arizona returned to Levi's Stadium, where they fell to Oregon in the Pac-12 championship three years earlier, and lost to a Jeff Brohm-coached Purdue team in the Foster Farms Bowl. Even though Tate threw five touchdown passes, including a go-ahead touchdown with 3:21 left to play, Purdue scored late to win the game. 

2023 Alamo Bowl 

Where (stadium): San Antonio, Texas (Alamodome)

Score: Arizona 38, Oklahoma 24

What happened: Arizona jumped out to a two-touchdown lead, but Oklahoma went on a tear and was in position to put away the Wildcats. Oklahoma led 24-13 and threatened to score with the ball on the Arizona 23-yard line until safety Dalton Johnson forced a fumble that was returned by safety Gunner Maldonado 87 yards for a touchdown, which sparked the Wildcats' come-from-behind victory. The Wildcats outscored the Sooners 17-0 in the fourth quarter. Two years prior, the Wildcats were 1-11 in head coach Jedd Fisch's first season, and finished the '23 season with a 10-3 record and the longest winning streak since the 1998 season. The '23 Arizona football team is one of five teams in program history to win at least 10 games.