SAN DIEGO — Holiday Bowl: No. 22 Syracuse (9-3) vs. Washington State (8-4), Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. CST.
BetMGM College Football Odds: Syracuse by 6.5
KEY MATCHUP
The 363.1 passing yards per game the Orange average ranks them first in the FBS, while the 255.3 the Cougars give up ranks them 118th in college football.
Washington State has the 11th-ranked offense in the FBS, averaging 36.8 points per game. Syracuse's defense is 94th, giving up 28.7 points per contest.
LAST GAME
Syracuse won 42-38 over Miami. Kyle McCord led the Orange with 380 yards on 26-of-36 passing (72.2%) for three touchdowns and no interceptions. LeQuint Allen had 82 rushing yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns, adding six receptions for 61 yards. Trebor Pena recorded 128 yards on six catches with one touchdown.
Washington State was beaten by Wyoming 15-14. John Mateer passed for 182 yards on 16-of-22 attempts (72.7%) with one touchdown and one interception. He also carried the ball 18 times for 56 yards and one rushing touchdown. Wayshawn Parker had 45 rushing yards on 14 carries, adding two receptions for 15 yards. Kris Hutson put up 62 yards on five catches.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Syracuse: McCord is second in college football with 4,326 passing yards (360.5 per game) while completing 65.8% of passes (367 for 558), with 29 touchdowns (sixth in CFB) and 12 interceptions. Allen has 211 carries for 901 rushing yards (75.1 yards per game) and 14 touchdowns. He also has 61 catches for 484 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson Meeks has 73 receptions for 911 yards (75.9 per game) and has seven touchdowns.
Washington State: Mateer is 17th in the country with 3,139 passing yards (261.6 per game) while completing 64.6% of passes (224 for 347), with 29 touchdowns (sixth in CFB) and seven interceptions. He has 826 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns, averaging 68.8 per game. Kyle Willams has 60 receptions to rank 20th in the country with 1,026 yards (85.5 per game) and has 13 touchdowns (fourth in CFB).
FACTS & FIGURES
Syracuse has outscored opponents by 3.9 points per game this season, and Washington State has outscored opponents by 8.7 per game.
With 14 forced turnovers (90th in college football) against 15 committed (42nd in college football), Syracuse's minus 1 turnover margin ranks 67th in college football.
While Washington State's defense has had trouble stopping opposing offenses, ranking 19th-worst by surrendering 430.4 total yards per game, its offense ranks 22nd-best with 440.4 total yards per contest.
