No. 21 Syracuse opened as a 4 1/2-point favorite over Washington State when the teams’ DirecTV Holiday Bowl matchup was announced four weeks ago.

The spread has grown substantially, with the Orange now favored by 17 points.

The massive movement was mostly in response to Cougars quarterback John Mateer entering the transfer portal. More than two dozen Cougars players have joined them — many of them after head coach Jake Dickert announced Dec. 18 that he was leaving to become head coach at Wake Forest.

ESPN’s Matchup Predictor isn’t as convinced as oddsmakers about the Orange’s advantage, giving Syracuse a 50.2% chance of winning.

Syracuse (9-3) is aiming for the eighth 10-win season in school history while Washington State (8-4) locks arms, circles the wagons and makes the best of the situation.

“As it changes for us,” Washington State acting head coach Pete Kaligis said in Thursday morning’s pregame press conference, “it’s about loving the young man and finding the depth of their soul and who they are so you can coach them the way they want and need to be coached.

“They all have talent. They need to believe in it.”

The game returns to its Mission Valley roots, ending a three-year stay downtown at Petco Park to 32,500-seat Snapdragon State. Kickoff is 5 p.m. (Fox).

Here are five things to watch:

1. The quarterbacks

Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord, who transferred in this season after three years at Ohio State, leads the nation with 4,326. The 6-foot-3 senior from Mt. Laurel, N.J., has completed 65.8% of his attempts with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

McCord had four touchdown passes in three games this season; he threw for a season-high 470 yards in a late-season win over UConn.

He will need to be even more prolific to approach the Holiday Bowl record for passing yards. BYU quarterback Ty Detmer passed for 576 yards against Penn State in the 1989 game.

McCord is matched against Washington State quarterback Zevi Eckhaus, who was thrust into the starter’s role following Mateer’s departure. The 6-foot Eckhaus is 6-for-7 passing on the season for 61 yards and one touchdown — all in the season opener against Portland State.

Eckhaus is not without portfolio, though. The Bryant transfer threw for nearly 8,500 yards and 75 touchdowns in three seasons with the Bulldogs. He also ran for 760 yards and 5 TDs.

Eckhaus closed out the 2023 season with a 394-yard, six-touchdown performance in the FCS win over Southeast Missouri State. That was his last start. How that translates to in one is the game’s biggest storyline.

2. The offenses

Washington State is allowing those who announced for the transfer portal to still play in the game, so the ranks will not be as thin as they would have been against the Orange.

The Cougars still will be noticeably short-handed on both sides of the ball.

An offense that averaged 36.8 points a game will be without Mateer, starting running back Wayshawn Parker and starting wide receiver Kris Hudson.

Eckhaus still has some quality targets in wide receivers Kyle Williams (60 catches, 1,026 yards, 13 TDs) and Josh Meredith (34 catches, 442 yards, 2 TDs).

Syracuse’s offense, which averaged 32.6 points a game, appears to be at full strength.

McCord spreads the ball among wide receivers Trebor Pena (79 catches, 871yards, 7 TDs), Jackson Meeks (73 catches, 911 yards, 7 TDs) and Oronde Gadsden II (69 catches, 860 yards, 5 TDs) as well as running back LeQuint Allen (61 catches, 476 yards, 3 TDs).

Allen (211 carries, 901 yards, 14 TDs) is 99 yards away from a 1,000-yard rushing season.

3. The defenses

Washington State is allowing 28.1 points a game, with 22 takeaways.

However, the Cougars will need reserves to step up — especially on the defensive line. Tackles Ansel Din-Mbuh (transferred to TCU) and David Gusta (ankle injury) will be absent. WSU will also be without cornerback Ethan O’Connor, though the Cougars were buoyed by backup Jamorri Colson’s decision to stay after initially opting for the portal.

The spotlight will shine brighter on linebackers Kyle Thornton (67 tackles, four quarterback hurries and Kapena Gushiken (51 tackles, five pass breakups) and free safety Tyson Durant (seven pass breakups, two interceptions).

Syracuse’s defense allows an average of 28.7 points a game. Linebacker Justin Barron had a team-high 86 tackles with 8 1/2 tackles for loss. He also led the Orange with five quarterback hurries.

Defensive lineman Fadil Diggs was most successful reaching the quarterback, with 7 1/2 sacks among his 14 tackles for loss.

Syracuse’s nine interceptions were spread among eight players, led by defensive back Jayden Bellamy with a pair of picks. Defensive back Clarence Lewis led the team with 11 pass breakups.

4. Locals watch

Washington State’s roster includes four players with local ties.

Junior wide receiver Josh Meredith (Mater Dei Catholic/Valhalla high schools) will play despite announcing his plans to enter the total. Senior edge Quinn Roff (San Marcos High School) has 17 tackles for the Cougars, with 1 1/2 sacks and a forced fumble.

Senior kicker/punter Dean Janikowski (Cathedral Catholic High School) has 1 1/2 sacks among 17 tackles with one forced fumble. He is averaging 42.7 yards a punt and is 8-for-11 in field goal attempts with a long of 52 yards.

Janikowski’s younger brother, redshirt freshman edge Jack Janikowski, has played sparingly but could get more opportunity given the absences on the D-line. The younger Janikowski is also a former Don.

The Syracuse roster includes defensive back Berry Buxton III (Olympian High School), who had 22 tackles this season.

5. KGB SkyShow

The KGB SkyShow is a solid postgame touch for the Holiday Bowl in its return to Mission Valley.

The iconic postgame fireworks show was popularized by the Padres before San Diego State took over the event in 2004 when the MLB team moved downtown.

SDSU’s association with the SkyShow ended when Snapdragon opened three years ago, and the Holiday Bowl snapped it up. SkyShow pyrotechnicians launched shells of up to 12” at one point in the event’s history, though the biggest shells now will be 4″ (the state code requires 70 feet for each inch of shell size) since the new stadium is located at the northwest edge of the property rather than in the middle like the old stadium.

“I’m probably one of the few people who was sad to see the old stadium go,” said Mark Neville, CEO of Sports San Diego, which produces the Holiday Bowl. “I loved that stadium. Once a year SkyShow lit that place up. Now we’re back on the same property.

“What makes it so great is the whole package, not only the fireworks, but the music and now utilizing the video boards with it. This is one of those things that I don’t think people realize how good it is. It’s going to be unbelievable.”

The 47th edition of the SkyShow will be simulcast on 101.5-FM.

Originally Published: December 26, 2024 at 6:15 PM PST