Two-minute drill: Washington State’s keys to victory against No. 22 Syracuse in Holiday Bowl
SAN DIEGO – Here is what to watch for when Washington State takes on No. 22 Syracuse in Friday’s Holiday Bowl, set for 5 p.m. on Fox.
When Syracuse has the ball …
The name to know is Kyle McCord, the Orange’s veteran quarterback who led the country with 4,326 passing yards, plus 29 touchdown passes, tied for No. 5 nationally (with former WSU QB John Mateer). He connected on 367 of 558 passes (65.8%) with 12 interceptions, but none in his past four games. He might be the most prolific passer in the country.
McCord eclipsed 400 yards passing once, in a win over UConn, and he hit 300 in all other games except one. A former Ohio State transfer, McCord finished the regular season with a Pro Football Focus offensive grade of 90.3, No. 5 in the country among qualified quarterbacks. All the Cougars’ eyes will be on McCord and how to slow him down.
Part of that might be getting some pressure, an area in which the Cougars ran hot and cold this season, mostly struggling toward the back half of the season. Their sacks leader, defensive tackle Ansel Din-Mbuh, has departed for Texas. Defensive tackle David Gusta, also in the portal, won’t play with an ankle injury, acting head coach Pete Kaligis said Thursday.
That puts the onus on returning edge rushers like seniors Syrus Webster, Andrew Edson and Raam Stevenson to generate pressure on McCord. McCord took 24 sacks on the season, including four apiece in losses to Stanford, Pitt and Boston College. Not so coincidentally, those were the Orange’s only losses all season.
It might be a tall task for WSU to produce four sacks, with their best pass rushers in the portal, but the Cougars could help themselves out by forcing McCord to scramble. He’s a pocket passer, not the kind of dual-threat quarterback WSU often struggled to defend this season. That might mean if the Cougars can make him uncomfortable, they might give themselves more of a chance on defense.
WSU will also need a little help from its secondary. Cornerback Ethan O’Connor is in the portal, and while it’s unclear fellow starting cornerback Steve Hall is, he appears ready to play, taking advantage of a policy the team voted to enact. Senior safety Tyson Durant is a go, as is fellow senior Tanner Moku, helping cover for the likely absence of Adrian Wilson, who has signed with Arizona State.
They’ll be in charge of slowing some of Syracuse’s other playmakers, including receivers Jackson Meeks (73 catches, 911 yards, seven TDs), Trebor Pena (79 catches, 871 yards, seven TDs), tight end Oronde Gadsden II (69 catches, 860 yards, five TDs) and running back LeQuint Allen (61 catches, 476 yards, three TDs).
Those players helped Syracuse finish ninth in total offense nationally at 456 yards per game, including 93 rushing yards a game. Allen totaled 211 carries for 901 yards and 14 touchdowns, an average rush of 4.5 yards.
When Washington State has the ball …
This will be the Cougars’ first chance to see transfer quarterback Zevi Eckhaus at the starting controls. Eckhaus, a transfer from FCS Bryant, backed up former WSU QB John Mateer this season, appearing in only two games after falling short in fall camp’s quarterback battle.
Eckhaus fashions himself a different type of quarterback, more in the mold of McCord, a pocket passer with limited running ability. Eckhaus is still athletic, perhaps more willing to flush from the pocket, but he hasn’t had a chance to show it in a WSU uniform. That makes the game so intriguing: The Cougars don’t know what to expect from him in a live game setting.
Whether he has the top players at his disposal that Mateer did isn’t so clear. Senior wideout Kyle Williams will suit up, just as he did each of the past 24 games for the Cougars, but fellow receivers Kris Hutson and Josh Meredith are in the portal. Hutson has committed to Arizona. Meredith hasn’t announced a next move, so it’s possible he winds up playing.
The offensive line that protects them will be largely the same one that played all 12 games this season, save for right tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe, who entered the portal earlier this month and took a visit to Big Ten school Nebraska. That means Esa Pole, Brock Dieu, Rod Tialavea, Christian Hilborn, then question marks around the next two.
Center Devin Kylany missed each of WSU’s final two games of the regular season with a knee injury, and his status is uncertain for Friday’s game. At the right tackle spot, if Kylany can play, it’s likely the Cougars will elevate redshirt freshman Ashton Tripp, whom coaches have been high on the last couple of seasons. If Kylany can’t go, expect WSU to move Dieu to center, which was the decision for the games Kylany missed.
Whoever ends up playing will play a part in the success of the Cougars’ running game, which will be manned by underclassmen Leo Pulalasi and Djouvensky Schlenbaker in the absence of usual starter Wayshawn Parker, who hit the portal at the beginning of the month and has committed to Utah, following former WSU running backs coach Mark Atuaia there.
For the season, Pulalasi totaled 241 yards on 51 carries, an average rush of 4.7 yards. Schlenbaker, used primarily as a power back and a lead blocker, added 145 yards on 41 carries and three touchdowns.