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Syracuse, N.Y. — The No. 21 Syracuse football team takes on the Washington State Cougars in the Holiday Bowl at 8 p.m., Friday at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.
The game will be broadcast on FOX.
See in-game team and individual stats here.
Note: Refresh this page throughout Syracuse’s game vs. Washington State to see the latest updates
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Final: Syracuse 52, Washington State 35
If it was his final game in a Syracuse uniform, Kyle McCord minted a magical one-year stint in orange with an emphatic walk-off.
The senior quarterback, who has petitioned the NCAA for a fifth season of college eligibility, set a Syracuse bowl record with 453 yards and five touchdowns in the Orange’s 52-35 victory against Washington State in the Holiday Bowl.
The win caps a 10-3 season for the Orange under first-year coach Fran Brown, who matches Paul Pasqualoni in 1991 as the only SU football coaches to win 10 games in their first season.
Syracuse racked up more than 600 yards of offense against an undermanned Washington State outfit.
Junior running back LeQuint Allen, who also could be suiting up for SU for the last time, finished with 165 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns.
Allen said in a postgame interview on FOX he will meet with Brown on Tuesday to discuss his future.
McCord was named the offensive MVP of the bowl game.
Safety Alijah Clark, who fielded a first-half interception, was named the defensive MVP of the bowl game.
Fourth quarter
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 52, Washington State 28 with 3:23 remaining
5:02 remaining: Syracuse drive starts at own 20-yard line
McCord goes over the 400-yard mark for the second time this season with a 41-yard catch-and-run by Meeks on a short crossing route. Meeks has a 1,000-yard season to his name after transferring in from Georgia.
Allen mints the Holiday Bowl win with a 33-yard touchdown catch, his third score of the game, from McCord.
McCord is 24-for-34 for 453 yards and five touchdowns.
Allen has 165 all-purpose yards on 20 touches.
9:12 remaining: Washington State drive starts at own 29-yard line
The Cougars aren’t yielding. Kyle Williams is up to 152 yards on seven catches as Washington State moves across midfield.
Eckhaus slips by Sparrow to pick up a first down near the goal line, but the play is negated by a holding penalty.
Washington State will attempt a 37-yard field goal, and for the second time tonight, the kick is no good.
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 45, Washington State 28 with 9:19 remaining
14:15 remaining: Syracuse drive starts at own 28-yard line
McCord heaves a 49-yard completion to Gill on 3rd-and-21 to move past Garrett Shrader and set a new Syracuse bowl record for passing yards.
McCord is 22-for-32 up to 379 yards and four touchdowns on the night.
Gill has now hauled in four catches for 145 yards. Gill, who has averaged 36.3 yards per catch, is one more bomb away from passing Marvin Harrison’s bowl record 173 receiving yards against Clemson in the 1996 Gator Bowl.
Jackson Kennedy sinks a short field goal.
1:11 remaining (third quarter): Washington State drive starts at own 47-yard line
Another promising drive ends with an interception by defensive back Jalil Martin.
Third quarter
END THIRD QUARTER: Syracuse 42, Washington State 28
1:11 remaining: Washington State drive starts at own 47-yard line
Washington State now takes the kickoff back 40-plus yards to set up the Cougars with excellent field position.
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 42, Washington State 28 with 1:19 remaining
1:58 remaining: Syracuse drive starts at Washington State 49-yard line
Yasin Willis returns the kickoff 43 yards across midfield to give McCord and the Orange a short field.
Pena takes a wide bubble and then sprints down the sideline for a 45-yard touchdown catch and run.
Pena has five catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns.
Orange scores in less than a minute and now has a school record 42 points in a bowl game.
McCord’s fourth touchdown pass of the game is also a school bowl record.
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 35, Washington State 28 with 2:06 remaining
7:08 remaining: Washington State drive starts at own 21-yard line
Washington State again driving in plus territory in the third quarter.
Carlos Hernandez with a 42-yard catch-and-run touchdown on a scramble play by Eckhaus. Davien Kerr beat in coverage.
Well, when we all thought a star-studded quarterback duel was off the table with John Mateer’s transfer, Eckhaus is stepping up to go blow for blow with McCord.
In his first start, Eckhaus is 20-for-26 for 262 yards and two touchdowns, plus another 27 yards and a score on the ground.
10:26 remaining: Syracuse drive starts at own 24-yard line
McCord fires a 50-yard strike to Gill to pass Deshaun Watson on the ACC’s single-season passing list. Watson, mind you, played in 15 games.
McCord is over 4,600 yards on the season.
Jackson Kennedy pushes a 39-yard field goal attempt left.
15:00 remaining: Washington State drive starts at own 25-yard line
Washington State not exactly folding coming out in the second half. The Cougars drive into Syracuse territory.
Fran Brown chews out Justin Barron on the sideline after the fifth-year senior gets flagged for an unsportsman-like conduct penalty for taunting Washington State receiver Kyle Williams.
The Cougars miss a 41-yard field goal attempt a smidge left.
Halftime: Syracuse 35, Washington State 21
Kyle McCord and the Syracuse offense scored 21 straight points to end the first half and take a two-touchdown lead in the Holiday Bowl.
McCord is closing in on the ACC’s single-season passing record after throwing for 218 yards and three touchdowns in the first half.
LeQuint Allen eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards on the season after racking up 113 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
The Orange has amassed 364 yards of offense and has averaged a staggering 9.1 yards per play against an undermanned Washington State defense.
McCord will look to rewrite some Syracuse bowl records in the second half.
He’s within range of Garrett Shrader’s bowl-record 330-yard passing performance against Minnesota in the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl.
McCord’s three touchdown passes tie the school’s bowl record for most touchdown passes in a game (Donovan McNabb vs. Clemson in 1996 Gator Bowl; Ryan Nassib vs. Kansas State in 2010 Pinstripe Bowl).
The Orange is also within range of the school record for most points in a bowl (41 vs. Clemson in 1996 Gator Bowl) and most yards in a bowl (507 vs. West Virginia in 2012 Pinstripe Bowl).
Second quarter
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 35, Washington State 21 with 13 seconds remaining
3:09 remaining: Syracuse drive starts at own 20-yard line
Allen goes over 100 yards in the first half to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark on the season as we hit the 2-minute timeout.
McCord picks up 17 yards and a first down across midfield.
McCord connects with Meeks on another back-shoulder throw for a 20-yard gain. WSU challenges the catch, and the call is overturned to an incomplete pass with a defensive pass interference penalty. End of the day, Syracuse loses a net of 5 yards on the challenge.
Syracuse has the ball at the WSU 30-yard line with 32 seconds remaining in the half.
A long sprint out of pressure results in a 15-yard hands to the face penalty on the Cougars.
Syracuse will set up first-and-goal on the 5-yard line with 17 seconds remaining.
McCord turns toward Gadsden and finds him in the back left corner of the end zone.
7:34 remaining: Washington State drive starts at own 35-yard line
Jaydn Oh’s kickoff goes out of the bounds.
Marlowe Wax steps into the passing lane and intercepts Eckhaus on the first play of the drive. The interception will be negated as a result of an illegal hands to the face penalty on defensive lineman Isaiah Hastings.
Washington State moving the chains. Justin Barron shaken up for the second time in the half. He’s been battling a face injury. He’s been bleeding from the nose throughout the night.
Anwar Sparrow replaces Barron in the lineup.
On 3rd-and-7 from the Syracuse 25-yard line, Eckhaus completes a pass for 5 yards. The Cougars will go for it but is met by Sparrow in the hole.
SCORE UPDDATE: Syracuse 28, Washington State 21 with 7:34 remaining
10:23 remaining: Syracuse drive starts at own 6-yard line
Allen, with a burst, gets the Orange out of trouble with a 28-yard gain.
Allen has nine carries for 83 yards and a touchdown. He’s closing in on a second straight 1,000-yard season.
On 3rd-and-10 from midfield, McCord hits Gadsden over the middle for a 28-yard gain down to the Washington State 22-yard line. Gadsden has three catches for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Syracuse now sets up inside the 5-yard line on a frozen rope to Gill.
McCord pitches it right to Allen for the score. It’ll go in the books as a 2-yard rushing touchdown.
12:53 remaining: Washington State drive starts at own 25-yard line
Freshman Ibn McDaniels on the field for the Orange and comes up with a big hit to put the Cougars behind schedule.
Alijah Clark plays centerfield on a deep, underthrown ball and comes down with the interception.
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 21, Washington State 21 with 12:53 remaining
17 seconds remaining (first quarter): Syracuse drive starts at own 25-yard line
Syracuse is back in the red zone after Nixon gets in 13 personnel with three tight ends and McCord finds Oronde Gadsden II in man coverage.
Pena then carries the ball 15 yards.
McCord delivers a strike to Gadsden wide open over the middle for an 18-yard touchdown. Great route by Gadsden.
First quarter
SCORE UPDATE: Washington State 21, Syracuse 14 with 17 seconds remaining
1:22 remaining: Syracuse drive starts at own 25-yard line
McCord goes a touch long looking for Gill downfield.
On 3rd-and-8, McCord doesn’t see the defensive lineman dropping back in coverage and catches a break with a dropped interception.
Syracuse punts; Washington State blocks it, scoops it and scores it.
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 14, Washington State 14 with 1:22 remaining
2:25 remaining: Washington State drive starts at own 27-yard line
Kyle Williams runs free for a 66-yard touchdown reception on third down.
It comes one play after linebacker Justin Barron left the game and was holding a towel over his nose.
Williams has four catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Eckhaus has started 7-for-7 for 136 yards and a touchdown. He hasn’t thrown a pass since Aug. 31.
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 14, Washington State 7 with 2:32 remaining
3:54 remaining: Syracuse drive starts at own 49-yard line
McCord hits back-to-back back-shoulder completions to Jackson Meeks to move the ball down to the 12-yard line.
Allen polishes off the touchdown drive with a 12-yard score. Tight end Max Mang swings and seals the block to spring Allen loose.
7:03 remaining: Washington State drive starts at 25-yard line
Freshman defensive end KingJoseph Edwards getting a healthy number of snaps with a short-handed defensive front.
Clarence Lewis will a nice play on third down to force a punt.
Pena rips off a nice, 33-yard punt return out to midfield.
The slot receiver, remember, will return next season as a team captain, according to Fran Brown.
SCORE UPDATE: Washington State 7, Syracuse 6 with 7:03 remaining
9:47 remaining: Syracuse drive starts at own 25-yard line
Jeff Nixon dials up a healthy dose of Allen to open this drive. Allen takes SU out near midfield before McCord hits a deep shot to Darrell Gill Jr. down near the red area for a gain of 29 yards.
McCord goes up top to Pena for a 19-yard touchdown. Pena hauls in a perfectly thrown back-shoulder throw.
Syracuse’s two-point conversion on an apparent fake PAT is overturned by the replay booth.
SCORE UPDATE: Washington State 7, Syracuse 0 with 9:47 remaining
13:44 remaining: Washington State drive starts at own 32-yard line
Zevi Eckhaus, the 2023 Big South Offensive Player of the Year, gets the start quarterback, as expected.
Eckhaus gets rid of the ball facing pressure and converts on third down to move the chain. Kyle Williams then forces a missed tackle by Clarence Lewis and picks up another first down.
Williams gets by freshman cornerback Davien Kerr, who fell down, and freshman safety Braheem Long is late coming across the deep middle, as the Cougars set up first-and-goal.
Eckhaus punches it in.
Cougars cover 68 yards on eight plays in 3:57.
14:54 remaining: Syracuse drive starts at own 26-yard line
Trebor Pena takes a pitch 17 yards for a chunk run on the first play from scrimmage.
McCord misses on his first two attempts to bring up 3rd-and-10. McCord drops it off to LeQuint Allen, who drops the pass.
Syracuse will punt.
Pregame
Update: 7:45 p.m.: Former Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb is in attendance.
Syracuse football concludes its first season under Fran Brown seeking a rare 10-win season in Friday night’s Holiday Bowl.
Brown, a Camden, New Jersey native, has delivered about as strong a debut season as anyone expected for someone who had no prior coordinating experience, let alone head-coaching opportunities.
This is the second bowl trip Brown has been on since getting the SU job. He was on the sideline for last year’s 45-0 loss in the Boca Raton Bowl, along with prized quarterback transfer Kyle McCord.
Brown and McCord have spearheaded SU’s return to the national polls, with McCord topping the country in passing yards after transferring in from Ohio State.
Others suiting up Friday were around when the program cratered with a 1-10 record in the Covid-truncated 2020 season before steadily building the program back to respectability.
Here’s the list of inactives for the Orange (players who are listed ended the regular season on the team’s two-deep):
DT Rashard Perry
DE Chase Simmons
DE Fadil Diggs
Saf. Devin Grant
Saf. Berry Buxton III
TE Dan Villari
CB Jayden Bellamy (transfer)
Saf. Jaeden Gould (transfer)
A win on Friday would give the Orange just its third 10-win season this century, and it’ll come with a trophy, a splash of eggnog and a familiar sense of optimism that last seeped through the fan base when the program won its 10th game six years ago.
And when the final seconds tick off the clock, a new countdown, and a new challenge begins.
Tennessee awaits in 246 days.
