Depleted Cougs fall to No. 22 Syracuse 52-35 in Holiday Bowl

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Kyle McCord threw for 453 yards and five touchdowns to break Deshaun Watson’s Atlantic Coast Conference season passing record and lead No. 22 Syracuse to a 52-35 victory over the depleted-yet-scrappy WSU Cougars in the Holiday Bowl on Friday night.

Syracuse Orange 52, WSU Cougars 35: Box Score

LeQuint Allen rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns for his second straight 1,000-yard season for the Orange (10-3), who had their first 10-win season since 2018. Fran Brown joined Paul Pasqualoni (1991) as the only Orange coaches since World War II to win 10 game in their first season.

McCord, the national passing leader, came in with 4,326 yards, which was fifth on the ACC’s season list, and needed 268 yards to break Watson’s record of 4,593, which he set in 15 games in 2016 at Clemson. McCord broke the record by a yard on the Orange’s first play of the second half on a 50-yard pass to Darrell Gill Jr., who made a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch. McCord finished with 4,779 yards.

WOOOWWW

What a play for @CuseFootball and a historic one for Kyle McCord 👏 pic.twitter.com/ohl05F4Gzy

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 28, 2024

McCord was 24 of 34. Gill had 145 yards on four catches and Jackson Meeks had five catches for 110 yards. Trebor Pena and Oronde Gadsden each had two touchdown catches.

The Cougars (8-5) lost their fourth straight game but were spirited despite losing coach Jake Dickert to Wake Forest, quarterback John Mateer to Oklahoma, both coordinators and the quarterbacks and running backs coach, as well as having more than 20 players enter the transfer portal.

Zevi Eckhaus, who threw only seven passes in the regular season as Mateer’s backup, threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions. Kyle Williams had 10 catches for 172 yards to break Dez Bryant’s Holiday Bowl record of 168 yards receiving in 2008.

Kyle Williams hit the JETS for @WSUCougarFB on this 66-yard TD 💨 pic.twitter.com/r6XXxtz84t

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 28, 2024

Washington State took a 21-14 lead with two touchdowns in just more than a minute late in the first quarter. Kyle Williams caught a short pass and turned it into a 66-yard touchdown. On the ensuing Syracuse possession, Leon Neal Jr. blocked a punt and Josh Meredith returned it 12 yards for a score.

Makin magic out here 🪄🎬@zevi_eckhaus @_alwaysopen_19 pic.twitter.com/zFNewzZIMc

— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) December 28, 2024

Syracuse scored three times in the second quarter for a 35-21 lead. McCord threw scoring passes of 18 and 5 yards to Oronde Gadsden II sandwiched around a 2-yard touchdown run by Allen.

The Takeaway

Syracuse: McCord extended his school single-season records to 4,779 yards passing, 34 touchdown passes, 391 completions and 558 attempts.

Washington State: The Cougars scored first, on Eckhaus’ 4-yard keeper midway through the first quarter and kept it close until they were overwhelmed in the second half.

Up next

Syracuse opens its 2025 schedule against Tennessee at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Aug. 30.

Washington State must hire a new coach for next season, which begins Aug. 30 in Pullman against Idaho, its neighbor on the Palouse.

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