Miami, Fresno State prepare for Arizona Bowl game with pep rally

TUCSON, AZ. – The Miami University RedHawks and California State University, Fresno Bulldogs football teams traveled hundreds of miles for the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl game, hosted in Tucson, Arizona, at the University of Arizona Casino Del Sol Stadium.

The night before the competition, the bands, cheer teams and fans from both programs met at the corner of North Toole Avenue and North Fifth Street at 5 p.m. for the annual pep rally hosted by Ali Farhang, chairman of the Arizona Bowl board.

By 4:45 p.m., a crowd of nearly 100 fans, parents and university staff gathered to watch the half hour performances from both sides as well as hear from the teams’ athletic directors ahead of the game. After both bands and cheer squads spent their day rehearsing at the stadium, they showed the crowd a taste of the enthusiasm that was to come with tomorrow’s game.

Fresno State kicked off the pep rally with their band and cheerleaders performing a short set. They handed it off to Miami next, with the four majorettes leading a crowd of more than 50 performers. Swoop hung out near the cheer team, dancing along to the fight song played by the band.

Following the two performances, Fresno State Athletic Director Garrett Klassy thanked the board for hosting the Arizona Bowl, and he expressed his excitement to be part of it this year. He also mentioned his longtime friendship with Miami’s athletic director, David Sayler, and he said tomorrow’s match would be a classic rivalry.

Sayler followed these remarks by echoing his appreciation for Klassy and said he looked forward to the competition in the bowl game, especially following Miami’s appearance last year, which resulted in a win.

“It's so awesome to bring Miami here, and [Tucson] embraces us and makes us feel like we're part of their community,” Sayler said. “That's what we look forward to celebrating.”

Miami President Gregory Crawford then took the stage. He said the score predictions for tomorrow’s game coming out of Las Vegas were wrong, and Miami will pull out a five-point win in the end.

“I know that our fans are excited, our band is excited, and I just saw some of the team members … they’re super excited,” Crawford said.

Aside from the Miami football team, the marching band, Shakerettes and cheer team all have traveled more than a thousand miles from Oxford to perform at the Arizona Bowl.

Junior Brian Dick and Brady Bierman both traveled to Arizona as members of the cheer team, and they said it is the excitement they’re most looking forward to.

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“It's always fun seeing Miami play in new atmospheres and to see the energy people bring,” Bierman said. “So I’m excited to see everyone there and cheer loudly for them.”

Dick added that the team has been preparing for this game for nearly a month. As a returner to the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, he said he most looks forward to leaving it all out on the field. For

“As long as we have a lot of energy, we did our job,” Dick said. “Hopefully [the team] does their job, too, and [we] come out with a win.”

Along with the band and cheer squads come a crucial set of fans: the parents.

Livvy Bertrand and Valerie Leonard, mothers of members of the Miami band, both traveled from New York and Ohio, respectively, to watch their sons perform.

“I love football, and I’m excited to watch my son, of course,” Bertrand said. “Everything the [marching band] has done, I’ve been absolutely amazed – by their coordination and how many hours they put in; I know they put in a lot of hard work.”

As parts of the crowd trickled into downtown Tucson for the organized bar crawl, others made their way back to their hotels after the pep rally wrapped up shortly before 6 p.m. Few fans crowded around the merchandise table, and many parents went to greet their children following the performance.

Kickoff for the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl game is at 2:30 p.m. MST (4:30 p.m. EST) on Dec. 27 at the Casino Del Sol Stadium, with a tailgate beginning at 10 a.m. outside in the University of Arizona mall.

Miami will face off against Fresno State for the first time in program history looking to defend its Arizona Bowl title. The game will be broadcast on the CW Network.

@OliviaPatel555

patelou@miamioh.edu