The No. 17-ranked Arizona Wildcats attempted a comeback late in the second half of the Holiday Bowl. Still, the deficit was too much to overcome and they fell to the SMU Mustangs 24-19 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego this past Friday.
Just before the start of the game, Arizona’s top defensive backs, Treydan Stukes, Dalton Johnson, and Gensesis Smith, all opted out of the bowl game to protect their draft stock in the upcoming NFL Draft in April. The decision was made three weeks ago, but it was not announced until an hour before the game.
The decision not to play left many Wildcat fans shocked and angry, but head coach Brent Brennan believed they would forever be household names to the program and should be seen that way by the fans as well…