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SAN DIEGO — Traveling over 2,500 miles across the country for the Holiday Bowl was never Fran Brown’s goal. The first-year head coach maintained his aim was to play for a National Championship from the second he was hired by Syracuse.

The expectation is foreign to SU, which hasn’t played in a National Championship game since defeating Texas in the 1959 Sugar Bowl. At the end of former head coach Dino Babers’ tenure, a successful season was simply winning six games to qualify for a bowl.

While they’re not yet National Championship caliber, Brown rejuvenated the Orange’s program in his first year at the helm. Syracuse’s (10-3, 5-3 Atlantic Coast) 52-35 win over Washington State (8-5, 0-1 Pac-12) in the Holiday Bowl enhanced it. The triumph gives SU 10 victories for the third time this century (2001, 2018) and marks its first bowl win since 2018.

“I think the 10 wins show that we are becoming a successful program, and we have it continue to work, so this is just a standard that was set, and we want to go above and beyond,” Brown said postgame.

Without luring Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord to central New York, setting the standard for what Brown is trying to build at SU would’ve been impossible. McCord rewrote the Orange’s single-season passing yards (4,779), completions (391) and touchdown (34) records.

With 453 passing yards and 24 completions against WSU, McCord became the ACC’s single-season leader in those categories, surpassing former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson’s respective 4,593 and 388 clips. He also set SU’s record for passing yards in a bowl game.

“He’s just that dude,” Brown said of McCord.

By capitalizing on McCord and Fadil Diggs in the transfer portal, and retaining LeQuint Allen Jr., Oronde Gadsden II, Marlowe Wax, Alijah Clark and Justin Barron, Brown assembled Syracuse’s best roster this century. And with it, he brought a new culture where winning was an expectation instead of a goal.

Still, the Orange remained an afterthought heading into 2024. After all, they continuously crumbled and couldn’t win in November. And how much would adding a first-time head coach and castaway quarterback do?

A 31-28 win over then-No. 23 Georgia Tech showed glimpses. A 44-41 thriller over then-No. 25 UNLV raised eyebrows. Changing the November narrative made people pay attention. Defeating then-No. 8 Miami forced national attention.

“Coach Fran came in here, he laid a plan down,” Clark said. “He actually had a blueprint for us and we just followed it.”

Syracuse head coach Fran Brown celebrates after the Orange’s Holiday Bowl victory, which gave SU 10 wins for the third time this century. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor

It landed Syracuse a highly touted non-College Football Playoff game, a key stepping stone for returning to college football’s upper echelon. And against a new-look Cougars squad, who saw over 30 players, most notably quarterback John Mateer, enter the transfer portal and head coach Jake Dickert bolt for Wake Forest, SU handled business.

While backup quarterback Zevi Eckhaus, wide receiver Kyle Williams — who set a Holiday Bowl record with 172 receiving yards — and a blocked punt touchdown propelled WSU to a 21-14 lead heading into the second quarter, Syracuse responded with 21 unanswered points to spark its highest-scoring bowl game performance in program history.

Scores from Allen Jr. and Trebor Peña ignited the Orange early, but getting Gadsden — presumably playing his final game with SU before declaring for the NFL Draft — involved unlocked their offense. He finished the game with four receptions and 74 yards while scoring two second-quarter touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Allen Jr. added his second of three scores, bringing his total to 20 for the season. SU’s last player with 20+ touchdowns in a single season was Walter Reyes’ 21 in 2003. Allen Jr. has one more year of eligibility remaining but said on the postgame broadcast he’ll talk about his future with Brown on Tuesday when SU returns home.

Allen Jr. and Gadsden’s second touchdown each came following turnovers. Clark notched his first interception across his three-year career at Syracuse, leading to Allen Jr.’s score. Additionally, a turnover on downs set up Gadsden’s.

Commanding a 35-21 halftime lead, the Orange maintained their comfortable advantage throughout the second half. Though one of Eckhaus’ four total touchdowns — a cross-body 42-yard strike to Carlos Hernandez — cut Syracuse’s lead to one score, it swiftly responded.

A 43-yard Yasin Willis kickoff return gave the Orange spectacular field possession. Two plays later, Peña housed a screen pass 45 yards to extend SU’s lead to 42-28 with just over a minute remaining in the third. The wide receiver will return to the Orange after notching a career-best 84 receptions and 941 receiving yards.

Syracuse’s players pose on the field of Snapdragon Stadium after clinching its first bowl win since 2018. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor

To begin the fourth, Syracuse’s secondary forced another takeaway. Jalil Martin, one of the handful of defenders forced into a bigger role following SU’s defensive backs group getting decimated by the portal, registered his first career interception. McCord then connected with Darrell Gill Jr. — who totaled four receptions and 145 yards — for a 49-yard gain, but Syracuse stalled out near the goal line. Jackson Kennedy converted the field goal, extending its lead to 45-28.

Throughout the game’s final minutes, the Orange’s lead ballooned to 52-28. Following Dean Jankowski’s second missed kick, Allen Jr. scored his third touchdown. On the drive, Jackson Meeks became SU’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Trishton Jackson in 2019. From there, the Orange capped a dominant end to the 2024 season.

Before the Holiday Bowl, Brown said he viewed the matchup versus Washington State as the start of Syracuse’s 2025 season. The difference between now and then could be drastic. Gadsden, Diggs, Wax, Barron, Clark and more won’t be with the program. Meanwhile, McCord — who is fighting for a fifth-year waiver and still said he doesn’t know if he’d return — and Allen Jr.’s futures are in question.

Additionally, Syracuse is set to face one of the toughest schedules in the country with matchups against Tennessee, Notre Dame, Miami, SMU and North Carolina. Before looking ahead, tonight was a reminder SU is back and well-positioned to thrive in college football’s new era — even if the path forward may be rocky.

“No one is bigger than the ‘S,’ and I think the way that we all continue to work that way helps us a lot,” Brown said.

Published on December 28, 2024 at 12:05 am

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon