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Difference makers: WSU’s Kyle Williams sets Holiday Bowl receiving yards record

Washington State Cougars wide receiver Kyle Williams (2) hauls in a long pass against the Syracuse Orange during the first half of a college football game on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)

Kyle Williams

John Mateer’s go-to target this season established a connection with Washington State backup Zevi Eckhaus early in Friday’s game. Williams, who finished top 25 nationally with 1,026 receiving yards during the regular season, had five catches on five targets for 125 yards in the first half and finished with 172 yards on 10 receptions in his final college game. In a losing effort, the senior wideout still managed to break the single-game Holiday Bowl record of 168 yards set by Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant in 2008. Williams scored his 14th touchdown of the season, matching Colorado’s Travis Hunter for the second most in the country, on a 66-yard pass from Eckhaus in the first quarter.

LeQuint Allen Jr.

Washington State’s shorthanded front seven – missing key contributors like David Gusta, Ansel Din-Mbuh, Buddah Al-Uqdah and Khalil Laufau – was no match for Syracuse’s potent rushing attack as the Orange totaled 154 yards on the ground. Leading Syracuse on that front – and all season – was Allen , who surpassed 1,000 rushing yards on the year with 101 in the first half, along with two touchdowns, to help give the Orange a 35-21 lead. Allen wasn’t as productive on the ground in the second half, but he added another touchdown in the fourth quarter, scoring on a 33-yard catch-and-run play with 3 minutes, 23 seconds left. Allen finished 1 yard shy of matching his season-high rushing total, carrying the ball 17 times for 120 yards. Allen also had three receptions for 45 yards.

Kyle McCord

The Cougars weren’t equipped to handle Syracuse in the run game and might have been in a worse spot when it came to containing their opponent’s passing attack. McCord, the national passing leader who finished 10th in Heisman Trophy voting, broke the ACC’s single-season passing record of 4,593 yards – previously held by Clemson’s Deshaun Watson – while throwing for 453 yards . Syracuse’s QB had success throwing outside the numbers, particularly toward the side of the field occupied by WSU cornerback Stephen Hall. The senior completed 24 of 34 passes for a career-high five touchdowns and no interceptions. It was McCord’s fifth straight game without an interception.

Key moment

Eckhaus had plenty of positive moments during his first start for WSU, but the senior transfer also threw two interceptions, including a costly third-quarter pick that gave Syracuse the ball back after the Cougars had driven into opposing territory. Trailing by two touchdowns, WSU had first-and-10 at Syracuse’s 43-yard line when Eckhaus rolled out to his left and threw a 13-yard pass intended for Williams. Standing a few yards in front of the WSU wideout, Syracuse safety Jalil Martin intercepted the pass before falling to the turf. The Orange took over with 14:15 remaining in the fourth quarter and made it a three-score game, effectively putting the game out of reach on Jackson Kennedy’s 30-yard field goal roughly 5 minutes later.