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Date/Time:
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Dec. 20, 8 p.m. ET
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Site:
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Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas
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Network:
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ESPN
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History:
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Past Results
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Matchup:
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Head to Head
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Game Recap
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Willie Tuitama threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns Saturday night as Arizona won its first bowl game in 10 years, 31-21 over No. 17 BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Wildcats stifled BYU quarterback Max Hall throughout the game, forcing him to scramble often, lose a fumble and throw an interception. Tuitama threw a 71-yard pass to Terrell Turner that set up the first score, a 37-yard touchdown to Delashaun Dean that gave the Wildcats the lead for good, and a 24-yard strike to Chris Gronkowski that sent Cougars fans toward the exits. Full story
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| UWIRE |
Brian Kimball, Daily Wildcat: As the confetti drifted down over the Arizona players following a 31-21 win against No. 17 BYU in the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl, no Wildcat looked happier than the seniors. For some, including fifth-year senior Jason Bondzio, the bowl game victory was a perfect ending for careers that started off on such a down note. Full story | UWIRE Bowl Coverage |
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Max Hall, QB, BYU
The junior had a solid game, throwing for 325 yards with one touchdown and one interception. |
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Willie Tuitama, QB, Arizona
The senior went out on top, throwing for 325 yards on 24-of-35 passing with two touchdowns -- both in the second half. He also scored on a 6-yard run in the victory. |
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Team Reports
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BYU: The Cougars were the early-season favorite as the non-BCS conference team most likely to land in a BCS bowl as an at-large qualifier. That dream went through the wood chipper after a 32-7 loss at Mountain West Conference foe TCU in mid-October. More
Arizona: The Wildcats go to their first bowl game in 10 years, last experiencing postseason football in a 23-20 win over Nebraska in the 1998 Holiday Bowl. An offensive shootout should be expected. That used to be bad news for the Wildcats, but UA scored at least 31 points in each of its seven victories. More
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Arizona's Marquis Hundley intercepts a pass intended for Austin Collie. (AP) |
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Community Focus
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HippoCool
Respect and kudos are in order for Stoops and the team, but a full-on congratulations or to say that they will be even better next year might be premature. The team just simply did not perform well at several points during the season, and with uncertainty at QB next year there is still some hurdles to pass going forward. It was a great performance tonight but let's not act like ASU did at the end of last year and follow a promising season with a disastrous one. Post your thoughts!
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Quotable
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"This was five years in the making. It all came together in the last month of the season. I couldn't be more proud of these seniors who brought Arizona back."
-- Arizona coach Mike Stoops
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