After knocking down Washington State 52-35, the Syracuse Orange have won their 10th game of the season - a feat that has happened only eight times in program history, the last time being 2018.
Head coach Fran Brown's team put together their best offensive performance of the season. Both the 52 points and 606 total yards were season highs, being the most points and yards against an FBS opponent since 2018 and 2019, respectively. Here's what I took away from the game.
My takeaways from Syracuse football's Holiday Bowl win over Washington State.
"We don't opt out around here. We play football."
There was a stark contrast looking at the Syracuse and Washington State rosters and coaching staffs. The Cougars had 31 players enter the portal and were also without their HC, OC, DC, QB coach, and RB coach. While some portal players still played in the game, the majority of the key contributors, who led the Cougars to an 8-4 season, did not.
Meanwhile, every Syracuse player who could play did play. There were certainly more players without pads on the sideline than we saw throughout the regular season, but that was all from injuries, including to Fadil Diggs and Devin Grant. But guys like Kyle McCord, Oronde Gadsden II and LeQuint Allen all played when they realistically didn't have to.
This was very noticeable as Syracuse wore down the depleted Cougars roster over time and Fran Brown made adjustments that Washington State interim HC Pete Kaligis couldn't react to. There's been so much hurting the Cougars' program outside their control but it shows how important building a culture is and keeping players from transferring.
This Syracuse team has so much depth
I noticed a lot of different players playing for Syracuse on Friday night, especially on defense. It wasn't always smooth sailing, but for the most part, the backups played great, especially guys like David Omopariola and Jalil Martin. On the defensive line, we saw Dion "Tank" Wilson return and add to the rotation.
On offense, Darrell Gill was the leading receiver with 145 yards on four receptions. He has the fifth most receptions and receiving yards on the Syracuse team. Jackson Meeks, Oronde Gadsden II, and Trebor Pena all had big games too, all the trio of receivers will all finish the 2024 season with over 70 receptions, 900 yards, and seven touchdowns. That's incredible. It takes a very talented roster with the right quarterback who can be a distributor to all that talent.
Again, this Washington State team was far from at full strength but it's promising for next year. Darrell Gill will have to step up for the Orange alongside others. It's good to get that experience now and get the squad ready for a new challenge in 2025.
Jeff Nixon deserves his flowers
Syracuse would not have been close to this 10-3 season without the rejuvenated offense. There are multiple reasons for how the Orange have changed, obviously, Kyle McCord is a huge part of this, alongside the return of Oronde Gadsden II and Trebor Pena, but there's another important piece that hasn't gotten enough love in my eyes. First-year offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon.
Nixon made the most of his roster and playing into their strengths. McCord was accurate with the football and the offensive line had its struggles, so a lot of the offense was quick hitches into tight windows and back-shoulder fades, which Jackson Meeks was outstanding at. Allen got a lot of work as a receiver, just getting him the ball in space and letting him use his own surprisingly good hands.
I think Nixon got better as a play caller as the season went on, which only led to McCord and the team also ending on a hot streak. He was mentioned for a couple of low-level head coaching jobs and for Syracuse's sake, I'm glad he turned them down. Besides, a bigger job will soon present itself if/when Nixon keeps it up.