2025 Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Preview: Miami (OH) RedHawks vs. Fresno State Bulldogs

Game notes

• Time and date: Saturday, December 27 at 4:30 p.m. ET
• Network: The CW Network
• Location: Arizona Stadium — Tucson, AZ
• Spread: Fresno State (-5.5)
• Over/under: 41.5
• All-time series: No previous matchups
• Miami (OH) last bowl: 2024 Arizona Bowl, 43-17 win over Colorado State
• Fresno State last bowl: 2024 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, 28-20 loss to Northern Illinois
• 2024 Arizona Bowl matchup: Miami (OH) 43, Colorado State 17

Setting the scene

Get ready to Drop It Like It’s Hot.

The 2025 Arizona Bowl is here, and Snoop Dogg is serving as the host for the second-straight year as a promotion for his Gin & Juice brand. Only one college football team has shared a podium with the legendary rapper, and that is the Miami RedHawks. Miami dominated Colorado State 43-17 in the prior year Snooper Bowl, and now another Mountain West team will challenge the RedHawks in Tucson. Fresno State aims to prevent Miami from another celebration with Snoop, as the Bulldogs search for a sixth bowl win in their last seven tries.

Miami (OH) RedHawks outlook

Miami (7-6, 6-2 MAC) is the model of consistency in the MAC. In an era of immense parity for the conference, the RedHawks qualified for their third-straight MAC Championship Game. However, for the second year in a row, Miami failed to prevail in Detroit, but Chuck Martin’s team can still rebound with a coveted Arizona Bowl win — just like they did last year by throttling Colorado State.

Just like in 2024, Miami started 0-3 and rebounded in MAC play to qualify for the title game. But even in MAC play, it’s been a roller coaster of the season for the RedHawks, especially on offense. Starting quarterback Dequan Finn opted out of the season in November and starting running back Kenny Tracy suffered a season-ending injury, leaving a new crop of talent to lead this group.

Taking the reins at quarterback is redshirt freshman Thomas Gotkowski, who made his second collegiate start in the MAC Championship. Gotkowski left that game due to injury, and so far he’s completed 32-of-64 passes for 503 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions in limited action. He has demonstrated mobility as well, posting 99 rushing yards and a touchdown as an occasional scrambler. If Gotkowski is unable to go, or if Martin wants to switch things up, senior Henry Hesson is another option. The senior started the 2023 Cure Bowl and participated in the MAC title game, having an essential PhD after five years in the same system.

Size is the signature of Miami’s offense, and both the running backs and linemen are renowned for this attribute. At running back, the 6’0”, 233 pound Jordan Brunson leads the way with 724 yards, powering his way to two 120-yard outings in a breakout season. Leading the team in touchdowns is goal line back D’Shawntae Jones who uses his bruising 245-pound presence to break through defenses.

Another key cog on the RedHawks’ offense is First Team All-MAC receiver Kam Perry. Pat Welsh offenses always enjoy slinging it deep, and Perry is perfect for this gameplan with a receiving average of 23.0 — first among all 204 FBS receivers with at least 40 receptions. The star receiver is 34 yards away from a 1,000-yard season, and although he plans to enter the portal afterward, he is expected to finish what he started with the RedHawks. Cole Weaver and Keith Reynolds will be Miami’s other key targets in this one.

During this run of Miami greatness, defense has always been the driving force and that remains the case in 2025. The group is down all-conference talent as star pass rusher Adam Trick is leaving early to prepare for the portal (which doesn’t open until January), while inside linebacker Corban Hondru suffered a season-ending injury. The top players to watch on defense are the starting safeties Silas Walters and Eli Blakey, who form one of the nation’s top tandems on a potent pass defense (199 yards allowed per game). Blakey leads the team with 105 tackles and eight pass breakups, while Walters has three interceptions and seven deflections.

Without Hondru, look for Jackson Kuwatch to make his presence felt from the linebacking corps. The standout run-stopper owns 101 tackles this season, picking up 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks — on a unit which ranks fifth nationally in sacks. With a chief pass rusher in Trick out, Grant Lyons and Bai Jobe are the RedHawks aiming to sustain Miami’s tradition of taking down quarterbacks.

And when Miami is in session, special teams always matter. The RedHawks’ reputation of successful kicking sustains through Dom Dzioban who is 19-of-22 on the year (10-of-10 from 40-49 yards) and will come in handy should it be a closely-contested fourth quarter.

Fresno State Bulldogs outlook

Fresno State (8-4, 5-3 Mountain West) is consistently in a state of transition, experiencing six different head coaching tenures in the last decade (including two separate tenures by Jeff Tedford). The Bulldogs aim for better stability in the Matt Entz era, and Entz’s time in Fresno is off to a solid start at 8-4.

The former FCS national champion head coach can now make it a 9-win season by doing something Fresno State failed to accomplish last December — beat a MAC opponent in a bowl game.

Fresno State won eight games in the regular season, but when the Bulldogs lost, they lost badly. All four Fresno State losses transpired by double-digits, yet it only finished 2-0 in one-score games — playing the majority of its season in lopsided fashion. Several quality wins were generated along the way as Entz’s squad outplayed Hawaii and Boise State during a strong midseason stretch.

Fresno State’s biggest question is, who starts at quarterback? E.J. Warner, a four-year starter, handled No. 1 duties for nine games this season, racking up 1,811 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions on a 69.4 completion rate at his third school in three years. The Bulldogs also tested FCS Sacramento State transfer Carson Conklin for the other three regular season contests, and Conklin tallied 354 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions on a 49.0 completion rate. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see both traditional pocket passer quarterbacks in Arizona, as the evaluation process extends to December.

The Bulldogs wield the FBS’s 114th-ranked passing offense, but they’re far better in the ground game at 55th in yards per game. It’s a two-man backfield of Rayshon Luke and Bryson Donelson leading the charge, and both see a rather even split in carries. Luke ranks atop the team with 688 rushing yards, exploding his way to 6.4 per carry while Donelson has 580 on a 4.3 average.

No Fresno State receiver has 500 yards, but Josiah Freeman is one way from attaining that threshold, looking to build on a strong regular season finale performance vs. San Jose State. Outside of Freeman, the wide receiving corps hasn’t been heavy utilized this year as tight end Richie Anderson III and Luke are the second and third leading receivers.

There are plenty of aspects Fresno State must improve on offensively as the team ranks below 100th in the FBS in third down percentage, fourth down percentage, red zone scoring percentage, and turnovers committed.

Despite coughing up the ball 20 times, Fresno State still sits at a +4 in turnover margin thanks to an opportunistic defense. The Bulldogs check in at 11th in the FBS with 24 takeaways and fourth with 19 interceptions, consistently flipping fields and stealing extra possessions. There are several ballhawks residing in this defense, with cornerback Al’zillion Hamilton and nickel Simeon Evans drawing the most eyeballs. Hamilton has four picks and earned Second Team All-Mountain West honors, while Evans has conference-best five interceptions in a spectacular season.

It’s not like Fresno State uses turnovers as a crutch either. The passing defense is that potent, ranking eighth in the FBS in fewest yards allowed at 161 per game, while holding opposing quarterbacks to a 55.5 completion rate. Fresno State’s coverage could receive an additional boost with a stronger pass rush, and defensive end Finn Claypool aims to take care of that. Claypool currently boasts team-bests in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (10.0) by substantial margins.

Prediction

If you’re expecting either team to break 30 points, you’re watching the wrong game. Fresno State and Miami (OH) is likely a four-quarter defensive rock fight that flies by rather quickly, with both teams focused on establishing the run.

Turnovers may be a frequent sight in Arizona, considering both offenses were subject to them and both defenses produced them at a respectable volume. Field position battle is important, and the words “complementary football” will be uttered on The CW Network broadcast countless times.

In the end, Fresno State’s passing defense is the superior unit which makes the difference in Tucson. Miami stays in the fight, but the Bulldogs escape and earn the right to party with Snoop Dogg on the podium.

Prediction: Fresno State 26, Miami (OH) 20