Dec. 24—Here’s a first look at No. 21 Washington State’s game against Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl on Friday night.
What is this?
After head coach Jake Dickert left for Wake Forest last week and more than 25 players entered the transfer portal, WSU will face No. 22 Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl. This is the Cougars’ eighth appearance in the last nine full seasons.
Where is he?
Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.
When is it?
Kick-off is set for 5 p.m.
Where can I watch it?
Fox will broadcast the match.
Who is favored?
Washington State was a roughly 16.5-point underdog at most sportsbooks Monday.
How did the Cougars perform last week?
WSU’s regular season slate came to an end late last month, when Wyoming came to Pullman and came away with a 15-14 victory. It was the final game of the regular season for many starters, including quarterback John Mateer, running back Wayshawn Parker, linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah, cornerback Ethan O’Connor, right tackle Fa ‘alili Fa’amoe, wide receiver Kris Hutson and defensive end. linemen David Gusta and Ansel Din-Mbuh, all of whom have since entered the transfer portal.
Although all players in the portal remain eligible to play in the Holiday Bowl, a policy the team voted to adopt, interim head coach Pete Kaligis declined to say who was interested in doing so. Kaligis said cornerback Stephen Hall, who posted offers he received from other schools on social media, has filed his transfer portal paperwork but remains with the team.
The Cougars, who finished the regular season on a three-game slide that included losses to New Mexico, Oregon State and Wyoming, endured a series of brutal events. Shortly before Dickert left, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski decamped for Oklahoma, taking Mateer with them. As of Monday, 27 Cougs had entered the gate, nearly the number that prompted Marshall to withdraw from the Independence Bowl earlier this month.
WSU won’t do the same, athletic director Anne McCoy said last week, indicating that the remaining players are motivated to take a chance on the Orange in San Diego. They’ll be severely shorthanded — the portal Cougs also include safety Adrian Wilson, punter Nick Haberer and six-game starting safety Jackson Lataimua — but they’ll have a team to field this weekend.
“We stood in front of a room full of motivated football student-athletes who can’t wait to take the field against Syracuse and represent Washington State University,” McCoy said at a conference in press Zoom last week, “to finish what they started, and to send these seniors out with the bowling game they deserve. The Holiday Bowl is one of the best bowling games in the country in which the state of Washington obviously has a long playing tradition, and We are extremely committed to it.”
In Mateer’s place, WSU will begin moving Zevi Eckhaus to quarterback, giving him a chance to shine after falling short in the quarterback battle of fall camp. Eckhaus previously played three years at FCS Bryant, where he tied the school record for single-season touchdown passes last season with 28. He is also the school record holder for touchdown passes in a career touchdowns, total offense and completions. He spent three years with the Bulldogs, from 2021 to 2023, starting almost all three seasons.
Young Cougs expected to get a chance to play include defensive backs Kenny Worthy and Kamani Jackson, running back Josh Joyner, tight end Trey Leckner, linebacker Frank Cusano and offensive lineman Ashton Tripp. Instead of a regular game for WSU, depending on the number of players in the portal, this could be more of a chance to see the program’s future take shape.
Scouting in Syracuse…
The engine of Syracuse’s offense is star quarterback Kyle McCord, who leads the nation with 4,326 passing yards, plus 29 touchdown passes, which is tied for 5th nationally (with former Syracuse QB WSU John Mateer). For the season, he completed 367 of 558 passes (65.8%), throwing 12 interceptions, but none in his last four games.
The Orange, who surprised Miami in the final week of the regular season, also use four primary receivers in their passing game: Jackson Meeks (73 catches, 911 yards, 7 touchdowns), Trebor Pena (79 catches, 871 yards, 7 touchdowns), tight end Oronde Gadsden II (69 catches, 860 yards, 5 TDs) and running back LeQuint Allen (61 catches, 476 yards, 3 TDs).
This helped Syracuse finish ninth in total offense nationally, producing 456 yards per game, including 93 rushing yards per game. Allen totaled 211 carries for 901 yards and 14 touchdowns, an average run of 4.5 yards.
On Monday, 10 Orange players entered the transfer portal, almost all of them substitutes. The team Syracuse will field in San Diego will largely be the same team that went 9-3 this fall.
On defense, SU has allowed some costly point totals this season: 41 in an overtime win over UNLV, 41 in a blowout loss to Pitt, 37 in a loss to Boston College and 38 in a home victory against Miami, eliminating the Hurricane and the former. WSU QB Cam Ward out of College Football Playoff. Orange defenders to know include cornerback Clarence Lewis, edge rusher Fadil Diggs and safety Justin Barron, who led the team with 71 tackles.
What happened last time?
The only other meeting between the teams was in 1979, when the Jim Walden-led Cougars traveled to Buffalo, New York, for a 52-25 loss.
