Three takeaways from Syracuse’s 52-35 win in the Holiday Bowl vs Washington State

Orange is the new offense

I hear you like offense.

So do the Syracuse Orange.

Syracuse set multiple individual and team records as the Orange defeated the Washington State Cougars 52-35 in the Holiday Bowl. The win gave Syracuse its 10th victory of the season in Fran Brown’s first year at the helm of the program.

Here’s our three takeaways to close out the 2024 Syracuse football season:

If that was it, not a bad way to close the chapter

Kyle McCord’s eligibility is still up in the air. He is appealing the rejection of his waiver to play another year of college football. Even if McCord’s appeal is successful, he may decide to go to the NFL.

If that was his last game in an Orange uniform, that was a fitting last game.

His 453 passing yards was his second most this season. His five passing touchdowns was a season high. His 10 incompletions were tied for a season low.

McCord will forever be etched into Syracuse memory as one of its best quarterbacks, even in just one season. He set multiple single-season and bowl records not just for the school, but for the conference as well.

Syracuse’s offense this season is often credited to McCord, for good reason. The trust that he has with the coaching staff is second to none in pretty much every level of football. He takes the system and plays from Jeff Nixon and executes it on the gridiron.

The success this season does not occur without that level of play from McCord. And the Holiday Bowl was a fitting culmination and summation of the Syracuse season.

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Every great quarterback needs a great receiver. Or in this case, many great receivers.

McCord’s success as a passer doesn’t come without great targets to throw to. And his targets are pretty great.

Oronde Gadsden continued to prove why he was a matchup problem all season and why he’ll be a matchup problem in the NFL. You have to double him. He’s too good in one-on-one coverage and he’s excellent at finding the soft spots in zone coverage.

Trebor Pena is coming back for another year in Syracuse. He continues to build a strong portfolio as to why he deserves a shot at the next level. His body control in the air to make catches has been on display in Syracuse’s past few games. His route running and speed were top notch as well.

Jackson Meeks was buried in the depth chart at Georgia. He joined Syracuse with Fran Brown and blossomed when he got his chance. He proved to be an important safety net for McCord and the offense as a player who could efficiently and consistently get open to move the chains.

And Darrell Gill showcased why he is one of the most exciting players to look forward to next year. His speed allows him to be explosive on the outside and in the slot. Much like many players on this Syracuse team, once he got his shot, he ran with it.

Syracuse’s receivers deserve as much credit for this year’s offensive success as McCord. And they also balled out on the Holiday Bowl stage.

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Fine. I’ll do it myself.

If you didn’t watch the game, you missed a slightly scary start to the contest. Syracuse’s first drive stalled out, Washington State’s offense looked much better than anticipated, and the Orange special teams issues flared up once again. Another Orange punt was blocked and returned for a touchdown.

Syracuse’s savoir was LeQuint Allen. And as many fans have been clamoring for, it was the run game that brought the Orange back into the game. Allen started gashing and overpowering the Washington State front and box. The area up the middle of the Cougars defense was the part that was most heavily hit by the transfer portal exodus.

At one point, Syracuse was averaging nine yards per carry. Allen finished the game with 120 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 17 carries for an average of 7.1 yards per carry.

As so many people say, an effective running game opens up the opportunity to pass. Allen’s rushing, especially in the first half, allowed Syracuse to settle into the game. It also, importantly, allowed the Orange to move the chains and set up McCord to challenge defensive backs one-on-one.

It could’ve been very easy for Syracuse to stall out further after the first drive and the blocked punt. Allen, as he’s done his entire Orange career, helped push Syracuse across the line to victory.