The first DirecTV Holiday Bowl ever played at Snapdragon Stadium looked a lot like many of its predecessors: high-scoring and infinitely fun to watch, which is amazing when you consider what one of the teams who played in it had to go through to get here.
It was hard to get a grip on just how short-handed Washington State was heading into its first-ever meeting with Syracuse. The Cougars had, depending on who you talked to, between 25 and 33 players in the transfer portal, including quarterback John Mateer, who led the nation with 44 total touchdowns.
Add to that the fact head coach Jake Dickert left to take the same job at Wake Forest and you can understand why the Orange, who sustained no impactful portal losses and hit the field with the nation's leading passer Kyle McCord under center, were as much as an 18-point favorite.
Credit the Cougars who remained because they put up a heck of a fight. Wazzou built a 21-14 lead before Syracuse took over in a 52-35 win in the first DirecTV Holiday Bowl ever played at Snapdragon Stadium.
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WSU started Zevi Eckhaus at quarterback, the backup who had only attempted seven passes all season but has a lot more experience than most people realized. A year ago with FCS level Bryant University, Eckhaus was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award (the FCS version of the Heisman Trophy) and he acquitted himself nicely against the Orange.
In the first quarter he finished the Cougars opening drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Syracuse score on two straight drives before Eckhaus hit wideout Kyle Williams for a 66-yard touchdown to tie it 14-14. Then things got really nutty.
Washington State blocked a punt and wide receiver Josh Meredith, a San Diego native who graduated from Mater Dei High School, recovered for a touchdown and a 21-14 lead that had WSU fans dreaming of a monster upset.
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McCord, as he has all season, had an answer, connecting with Oronde Gadsden II for an 18-yard touchdown that tied it up. That's when Eckhaus made his first mistake of the night. After completing his first nine pass attempts, the QB was facing a 3rd and 13 when he tried to loft a ball down the middle of the field. It was picked off by defensive back Alijah Clark.
It was the opening the Orange needed to take control.
Syracuse scored on a two-yard touchdown run by LeQuint Allen and a five-yard pass from McCord to Gadsden to go up 35-21 at halftime. Eckhaus tried to spark a comeback, connecting with Carlos Hernandez on a 42-yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to seven ... but two plays later McCord found Trebor Pena for a 45-yard score that put it out of reach.
McCord has petitioned the NCAA for one more year of eligibility but if this was his final collegiate game, he went out in style. McCord finished with 453 yards and five touchdowns with no turnovers and broke the Atlantic Coast Conference single-season passing yards record what was set by Clemson's Deshaun Watson.
On the other side, Eckhaus, who has one year of eligibility left, showed that he could play at the highest level of college football with 363 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He's going to be a handful when the San Diego State Aztecs get a look at him in 2025. Assuming he doesn't enter the transfer portal, of course.
