SAN DIEGO -- Quarterback Kyle McCord and the Syracuse Orange look to end their year with a win against the Washington State Cougars in the Holiday Bowl on Friday, Dec 27 at Snapdragon Stadium.
The Orange (9-3, 5-3 ACC), under first-year head coach Fran Brown, finished with their most wins since 2018. Brown was the former defensive backs coach at Georgia and has the Orange in the hunt for their second bowl win since 2013.
Syracuse is currently ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 21 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
The Orange totaled three ranked wins in the 2024 season, including wins against No. 23 Georgia Tech and No. 25 UNLV. Syracuse ended their season with an upset win against No. 6 Miami, knocking them out of the College Football Playoff. The Orange head into their bowl game on a three-game win streak.
SYRACUSE BEATS #6 MIAMI AND THEY STORM THE FIELD!
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) December 1, 2024
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McCord led all of college football in passing yards and yards per game, throwing for 4,326 yards with 360.5 yards per game. The senior transfer from Ohio State finished tenth in Heisman voting.
Kyle McCord has THRIVED after transferring from Ohio State to Syracuse 🍊 👀 pic.twitter.com/1LdES3yCPb
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) December 4, 2024
The Syracuse receiving core has been led by wide receivers Jackson Meeks and Trebor Pena. Meeks, a Georgia transfer, has 911 yards and seven touchdowns recieving while Pena has racked up 871 yards and seven touchdowns as well.
Tight end Oronde Gadsden III has been McCord’s safety blanket, finishing fourth in the nation in receiving yards and receptions (tight ends) with 860 yards and 69 receptions.
Running back LeQuint Allen features a dual threat out of the backfield for the Orange, combining for 1,377 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns. Allen was second in the nation in receptions for running backs with 61 and fifth in receiving yards with 476.
The Syracuse offense runs a spread and relies heavily on their athletes. McCord does a great job of getting the ball to his playmakers through run-pass-options (RPO), screens and quick-game.
The Orange finished ninth in the nation in yards per game and will match up nicely against a Washington State (8-4) defense that struggled against the pass attack this season.
The Syracuse defense is led by their secondary. Safety Justin Barron led the defense with 81 total tackles and safety Duce Chestnut was second with 56 total tackles. Chestnut transferred from Syracuse to LSU for the 2023 season but returned in 2024.
The Syracuse defense let up 216 passing yards per game, sixth in the ACC. The Orange run a nickel package and trust their defensive backs one-on-one in coverage and rely on the secondary to make tackles in space. Expect to see cover zero and cover one against Washington State.
The front seven for Syracuse struggled this season, having trouble stopping the run and controlling the line of scrimmage. Offenses averaged 153.7 rushing yards per game against the Orange, 14th in the ACC.
The Orange totaled 26 sacks this season, 12th in the ACC. Defensive lineman Fadil Diggs led the front four with 7.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss.
The inconsistent Orange defense will have their hands full against a Washington State offense that averages 36.8 points per game, eighth in all of college football. Expect a high-scoring game Friday night.
Kickoff between the Syracuse Orange and the Washington State Cougars is on Friday at 5 p.m.