Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales stated that the Wildcats are expected to have starting defensive tackle Tia Savea for the Holiday Bowl on January 2 against SMU. Savea has been out since suffering a leg injury in the 24-20 win over Kansas on November 8.
Despite missing the final three games of the regular season, Savea still led Arizona defensive linemen and set a career high with 30 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sack. Savea had arguably the best game of his career with six tackles and a 0.5 TFL in a 33-27 double overtime loss to BYU.