NCAAF

Syracuse Orange at Washington State Cougars

· DirecTV Holiday Bowl
10-3, 3-2 Away
Final
52 - 35

McCord throws for 453 yards, 5 TDs in No. 22 Syracuse's 52-35 Holiday Bowl win over Washington State

DirecTV Holiday Bowl Preview

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.

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.

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.

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.

Syracuse was a 17-point favorite according to .

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.

How To Watch

How can I watch Syracuse Orange vs. Washington State Cougars?
  • TV Channel: Orange at Cougars 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on FOX.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Scoring Summary

WSU TD 1st Period 9:47 Zevi Eckhaus 4 Yd Run (Dean Janikowski Kick)
SYR TD 1st Period 7:03 Trebor Pena 19 Yd pass from Kyle McCord (Two-Point Run Conversion Failed)
SYR TD 1st Period 2:32 LeQuint Allen 12 Yd Run (Kyle McCord Pass to LeQuint Allen for Two-Point Conversion)
WSU TD 1st Period 1:22 Kyle Williams 66 Yd pass from Zevi Eckhaus (Dean Janikowski Kick)
WSU TD 1st Period 0:17 Josh Meredith 12 Yd Punt Return (Dean Janikowski Kick)
SYR TD 2nd Period 12:53 Oronde Gadsden II 18 Yd pass from Kyle McCord (Jackson Kennedy Kick)
SYR TD 2nd Period 7:34 LeQuint Allen 2 Yd Run (Jackson Kennedy Kick)
SYR TD 2nd Period 0:13 Oronde Gadsden II 5 Yd pass from Kyle McCord (Jackson Kennedy Kick)
WSU TD 3rd Period 2:06 Carlos Hernandez 42 Yd pass from Zevi Eckhaus (Dean Janikowski Kick)
SYR TD 3rd Period 1:19 Trebor Pena 45 Yd pass from Kyle McCord (Jackson Kennedy Kick)
SYR FG 4th Period 9:19 Jackson Kennedy 30 Yd Field Goal
SYR TD 4th Period 3:23 LeQuint Allen 33 Yd pass from Kyle McCord (Jackson Kennedy Kick)
WSU TD 4th Period 0:09 Branden Ganashamoorthy 9 Yd pass from Zevi Eckhaus (Dean Janikowski Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/183.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originSYR https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/265.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originWSU
28 1st Downs 24
2-6 3rd down efficiency 8-16
0-0 4th down efficiency 2-3
606 Total Yards 472
453 Passing 363
24/34 Comp/Att 31/43
13.3 Yards per pass 8.4
153 Rushing 109
26 Rushing Attempts 31
5.9 Yards per rush 3.5
7-50 Penalties 3-40
0 Turnovers 2
0 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 2
25:24 Possession 34:36

Game Information

Snapdragon Stadium

Location: San Diego, CA
Attendance: 23,920 · Capacity:
Full Standings

College Football News

Tulane QB TJ Finley suspended indefinitely after arrest

Tulane QB TJ Finley suspended indefinitely after arrest

Tulane quarterback TJ Finley has been suspended following his arrest on a charge of illegal possession of stolen things worth more than $25,000.

Sources: Ohio State lands No. 34 prospect Simeon Caldwell

Sources: Ohio State lands No. 34 prospect Simeon Caldwell

Ohio State landed the commitment of four-star defender Simeon Caldwell on Wednesday, multiple sources told ESPN, securing coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes a pledge from the nation's No. 34 overall prospect in the 2026 cycle.

Most interesting college football teams this spring

Most interesting college football teams this spring

Questions at QB, new coaches, more pressure. We might not learn much in spring football, but these teams are facing questions.

2025 NFL draft All-Film team: 11 prospects with upside

2025 NFL draft All-Film team: 11 prospects with upside

The top prospects are being finalized for the 2025 draft. But what underrated players just jump off the screen from this class?

2025 NFL draft: Shavon Revel went from warehouse job to top prospect

2025 NFL draft: Shavon Revel went from warehouse job to top prospect

After struggling at juco and working at Amazon, the ECU corner changed it all at a tryout camp on one hour's sleep.