Syracuse vs. Washington State: Holiday Bowl box score, stats, game summary and more ft. Kyle McCord

Syracuse got a massive passing effort from Kyle McCord, who threw five touchdowns and passed for 453 yards in helping overcome an early deficit to post a 52-35 Holiday Bowl victory. Washington State held a 21-14 advantage after a quarter, but a pair of long second-quarter drives gave the Orange the halftime advantage and left the Cougars playing catch-up.

Syracuse posted its 10th win for the first time since 2018. Fran Brown's first season has been a triumph for the Orange, who have benefitted from Ohio State transfer McCord at quarterback. Meanwhile, Washington State survived the exile of the Pac-12 with an impressive season, despite a massive transfer portal exodus following coach Jake Dickert's move to Wake Forest.

Syracuse (10-3) leaned heavily on McCord to nab the school's first bowl victory since the 2018 Camping World Bowl. Washington State (8-5) was likewise after its first bowl win since that same 2018 campaign, when the Cougars outlasted Iowa State in the Alamo Bowl.

Syracuse vs. Washington State Box Score

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Syracuse	14	21	7	10	52
Washington State	21	0	7	7	35

Syracuse Passing Stats

Player	Comp.	Att.	Yards	Pass TDs
Kyle McCord	24	34	453	5

Syracuse Rushing and Receiving Stats

Player	Rushes	Yards	Rush TDs	Rec.	Yards	Rec. TDs
LeQuint Allen	17	120	2	3	45	1
Trebor Pena	3	38	0	5	70	2
Oronde Gadsden II	0	0	0	4	74	2
Jackson Meeks	0	0	0	5	110	0
Darrell Gill Jr.	0	0	0	4	145	0
Yasin Willis	1	3	0	2	4	0
Kyle McCord	4	-7	0	0	0	0
Maximillian Mang	0	0	0	1	5	0

Syracuse Kicking Stats

Player	XP-XPA	FG-FGA	Long
Jackson Kennedy	5 for 5	1 for 2	30

Washington State Passing Stats

Player	Comp.	Att.	Yards	Pass TDs
Zevi Eckhaus	31	43	363	3

Washington State Rushing and Receiving Stats

Player	Rushes	Yards	Rush TDs	Rec.	Yards	Rec. TDs
Zevi Eckhaus	11	28	1	0	0	0
Leo Pulalsi	14	61	0	2	5	0
Djouvensky Schlenbaker	2	4	0	2	16	0
Kyle Williams	0	0	0	10	172	1
Carlos Hernandez	0	0	0	8	80	1
Trey Leckner	0	0	0	2	31	0
Josh Meredith	0	0	0	5	30	0
Tony Freeman	1	7	0	0	0	0
Josh Joyner	2	10	0	0	0	0
Chris Barnes	1	-1	0	1	20	0
Branden Ganashamoorthy	0	0	0	1	9	1

Washington State Kicking Stats

Player	XP-XPA	FG-FGA	Long
Dean Janikowski	5 for 5	0 for 2

• Washington State: Four-yard TD run by Zevi Eckhaus (Janikowski XPT), 7-0, 9:47 remaining in 1st quarter
• Syracuse: 19-yard TD pass to Trebor Pena from Kyle McCord (two-point attempt failed), 7-6, 7:03 remaining in 1st quarter
• Syracuse: 12-yard TD run by LeQuint Allen (McCord to Allen two-point conversion), 14-7, 2:32 remaining in 1st quarter
• Washington State: 66-yard TD pass to Kyle Williams from Zevi Eckhaus (Janikowski XPT), 14-14, 1:22 remaining in 1st quarter
• Washington State: 12-yard blocked punt return by Josh Meredith (Janikowski XPT), 21-14, 0:17 remaining in 1st quarter
• Syracuse: 18-yard TD pass to Oronde Gadsden II from Kyle McCord (Kennedy XPT), 21-21, 12:53 remaining in 2nd quarter
• Syracuse: Two-yard TD run by LeQuint Allen (Kennedy XPT), 28-21, 7:34 remaining in 2nd quarter
• Syracuse: Five-yard TD pass to Oronde Gadsden II from Kyle McCord (Kennedy XPT), 35-21, 0:13 remaining in 2nd quarter
• Washington State: 42-yard TD pass to Carlos Hernandez from Zevi Eckhaus (Janikowski XPT), 35-28, 2:06 remaining in 3rd quarter
• Syracuse: 45-yard TD pass to Trebor Pena from Kyle McCord (Kennedy XPT), 42-28, 1:19 remaining in 3rd quarter
• Syracuse: 30-yard field goal by Jackson Kennedy, 45-28, 9:19 remaining in 4th quarter
• Syracuse: 33-yard TD pass to LeQuint Allen from Kyle McCord (Kennedy XPT), 52-28, 3:23 remaining in 4th quarter
• Washington State: Nine-yard TD pass to Branden Ganashamoorthy from Zevi Eckhaus (Janikowski XPT), 52-35, 0:09 remaining in 4th quarter

After State's 21-14 first-quarter lead, Syracuse won the remainder of the game by a 38-14 margin. McCord's season with Syracuse certainly showcased his NFL future and should leave Syracuse prepared to move ahead offensively in 2025.