Dec. 24—Here is a first look at Washington State’s matchup with No. 21 Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl on Friday evening.
What is it?
After head coach Jake Dickert left for Wake Forest last week and upwards of 25 players entered the transfer portal, WSU will square off with No. 22 Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl. It’s the Cougars’ eighth bowl appearance in the last nine full seasons.
Where is it?
Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.
When is it?
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.
Where can I watch it?
Fox will broadcast the game.
Who is favored?
Washington State was around a 16.5-point underdog in most sportsbooks as of Monday.
How did the Cougars fare last week?
WSU’s regular-season slate came to an end late last month, when Wyoming came to Pullman and left with a 15-14 win. 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 linemen David Gusta and Ansel Din-Mbuh, all of whom have since entered the transfer portal.
While all portal players remain eligible to play in the Holiday Bowl, a policy the team voted to enact, acting head coach Pete Kaligis declined to say who are interested in doing so. Kaligis said cornerback Stephen Hall, who has been posting offers he’s received from other schools on social media, has filed his transfer portal paperwork but remains with the team.
The Cougars, who ended the regular season on a three-game slide that included setbacks to New Mexico, Oregon State and Wyoming, have endured a brutal set of 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 have entered the portal, nearly the number that prompted Marshall to opt out of the Independence Bowl earlier this month.
WSU will not be doing the same, athletic director Anne McCoy said last week, indicating the players left are fired up to get a crack at the Orange in San Diego. They’ll be severely undermanned — 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 before a room full of motivated football student-athletes who can’t wait to get on the field against Syracuse and represent Washington State University,” McCoy said in a Zoom news conference last week, “to finish what they started, and to send those seniors off with the bowl game that they deserve. The Holiday Bowl is one of the best bowl games in the country. It’s one that Washington State obviously has a long tradition of playing in, and we’re extremely committed to that.”
In place of Mateer, WSU will start transfer Zevi Eckhaus at quarterback, giving him a chance to shine after falling short in fall camp’s quarterback battle. Eckhaus previously played three years at FCS Bryant, where he matched the school record for single-season touchdown passes last season with 28. He’s also the school record holder for career touchdown passes, total offense and completions. He spent three years with the Bulldogs, from 2021 to 2023, starting nearly all three seasons.
Younger Cougs who figure 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 how many portal players suit up, it might be more of a chance to see the future of the program take shape.
Scouting 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 No. 5 nationally (with former WSU QB John Mateer). For the season, he connected on 367 of 558 passes (65.8%), throwing 12 interceptions, but none in his last four games.
The Orange, who upset Miami in the last week of the regular season, also use four main receivers in their passing game: Jackson Meeks (73 catches, 911 yards, 7 TDs), Trebor Pena (79 catches, 871 yards, 7 TDs), tight end Oronde Gadsden II (69 catches, 860 yards, 5 TDs) and running back LeQuint Allen (61 catches, 476 yards, 3 TDs).
That helped Syracuse finish ninth in total offense nationally, churning out 456 yards per game, including 93 rushing yards a game. Allen totaled 211 carries for 901 yards and 14 touchdowns, an average rush of 4.5 yards.
As of Monday, 10 Orange players have entered the transfer portal, almost all backups. The team Syracuse rolls out in San Diego will largely be the same one that collected a 9-3 record this fall.
On defense, SU permitted a few 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 win over Miami, knocking the Hurricane and former WSU QB Cam Ward out of the 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 teams’ only other meeting came in 1979, when the Jim Walden-led Cougars traveled to Buffalo, New York, for a 52-25 loss.
