There are those who thought Washington State didn’t have a prayer against No. 21 Syracuse coming into Friday night’s DirecTV Holiday Bowl.

So Washington State acting head coach Pete Kaligis provided one on the eve of the 45th annual game.

“As we’ve gone through this, I do thank my Heavenly Father for giving me an opportunity to lead,” Karligis said. “I’m on my knees before him to lead these men in His way, not my way. That’s No. 1 to me.

“I know we’re up against a very, very, very, very good opponent.”

Syracuse proved just how good in a 52-35 victory over Washington State before an announced crowd of 23,920 at Snapdragon Stadium. Washington State (8-5) gave Syracuse (10-3) a game, but didn’t have enough to prevent the Orange from earning the eighth 10-win season in the program’s 136-year history.

These were not the same Cougars who beat San Diego State here in midseason.

In the two weeks leading up to the bowl game, the Cougars’ head coach left for Wake Forest. Their offensive coordinator left for Oklahoma. Their quarterback joined the Sooners later. Their defensive coordinator was dismissed earlier.

Washington State’s roster was missing starters at running back, wide receiver, on the defensive line and punter, among other positions, as nearly three dozen players made plans to enter the transfer portal.

“I think you’re going to see a different team than you saw at San Diego State,” Kaligis said. “I think you’re going to see a team that’s going to be playing with a lot of energy, a lot of excitement, and playing with a lot of love together as one. That’s what I believe you’re going to see.”

He was right. Washington State made a statement, stopping Syracuse on its opening drive. The Cougars then went 68 yards the other way, capping an eight-play drive when quarterback Zevi Eckhaus scored on a delayed 4-yard run.

Eckhaus, stepping up because started John Mateer left for Oklahoma last week in the transfer portal, flexed in front of the Washington State band after he stepped into the end zone. And Washington State, a 17-point underdog, had a 7-0 lead barely five minutes into the game.

Had the Cougars come to play, or was this one of those underdog mirages where the favorite scores the next six touchdowns?

That question was answered before the first quarter concluded as the teams traded touchdowns.

Syracuse took a 14-7 lead on a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kyle McCord to wide receiver Trebor Pena and a 12-yard rush by running back LeQuint Allen midway through the opening period.

Washington State responded quickly, getting a 66-yard touchdown pass from Eckhaus to wide receiver Kyle Williams.

When the Cougars forced Syracuse to punt late in the period, it appeared the score would be 14-14 as the first quarter ended. But Washington State’s Leon Neal Jr. blocked Jack Stonehouse’s punt and teammate Josh Meredith scooped up the ball and carried it 12 yards to the end zone for a 21-14 Cougars lead.

Meredith (Mater Dei/Valhalla high schools) was among the Cougars players who announced for the transfer portal but were allowed to play in the game. Maybe playing in his hometown had something to do with Meredith’s decision. Good move. He made a lifetime memory.

After a quarter it looked like maybe, just maybe, Washington State had an upset up its sleeve.

Syracuse flipped the script in the second quarter, however, scoring 21 unanswered points on a pair of touchdown passes from McCord to Oronde Gadsden II and another short TD run by Allen.

Gadsden’s second touchdown was especially costly for the Cougars, providing a 35-21 lead for Syracuse with 13 seconds remaining before halftime.

The Syracuse band played Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” at halftime, which seemed appropriate given the two quarters just witnessed.

The second half was another story. Jackson’s “Beat It”

Washington State gamely played on before Syracuse’s talent took over.

The Cougars closed within a touchdown, 35-28, on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Eckhaus to Carlos Hernandez with 2:14 remaining in the third quarter.

Syracuse took it from there.

The Orange answered within a minute of the Cougars score when McCord hit Pena with a 45-yard touchdown pass that made it 42-28.

Syracuse put the game away when defensive back Jalil Martin intercepted Eckhaus 45 seconds into the fourth quarter and Orange kicker followed with a 30-yard field goal to make it 45-28. Allen’s third touchdown, on a 33-yard pass from McCord, made it 52-28.

Eckhaus (31-for-43, 363 yards, 3 TDs/2 INTs) added a 9-yard touchdown pass to Branden Ganashamoorthy to complete the scoring with nine second remaining in the game.

Notable

• McCord was selected Offensive MVP after completing 24 of 34 passes for 453 yards and five touchdowns, one shy of the Holiday Bowl record set last year by USC quarterback Miller Moss. Syracuse defensive back Alijah Clark was named Defensive MVP after collecting six tackles and an interception.

McCord finished the season with 4,779 passing yards, breaking the ACC record held by Clemson’s Deshaun Watson (4,593 in 2016).

Allen rushed 17 times for 120 yards, putting him over 1,000 yards for the season.

• Williams had 10 receptions for 172 yards for Washington State for 160 yards, breaking the Holiday Bowl receiving yardage record of 168 yards by Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant in 2008.

• The 816 combined passing yards broke the Holiday Bowl record of 791 set in the 1989 game between Penn State and BYU.

• Sign on the times … Washington State linebacker Keith Brown was here for his third straight Holiday Bowl — with his third different team. Brown started for Oregon in the 2022 game and was here with Louisville last year. He is only a junior, so Brown has a shot at a fourpeat next year.

• The game was guaranteed to have the smallest crowd in the Holiday Bowl’s 45-year history because it was moved this year to the 32,500-seat Snapdragon Stadium. While attendance was announced at 23,920, there were an estimated 18,000 fans in the stands.

• The 35-point first quarter was the fourth-most points scored in a college football game this season. The Holiday Bowl record for points in a quarter is 38, during the 2014 game between USC and Nebraska.

• The over/under at kickoff was 57.5 points. The teams combined for 56 points by halftime, breaking the record of 45 scored in the 1990 game between Texas A&M and BYU. The 87 total points were second in the game’s history to only the 91 scored in the 1980 Miracle Bowl in which BYU beat SMU 46-45.

• The much-maligned Snapdragon Stadium field looked good and played good. The TifTiuf turf received two green thumbs up from amateur agronomists.

Originally Published: December 27, 2024 at 9:08 PM PST