No. 22 Syracuse looking for 10 wins in 1st year under Fran Brown against depleted Washington State
Associated PressSAN DIEGO — Syracuse coach Fran Brown and Washington State acting coach Pete Kaligis shared a heartfelt hug after their Holiday Bowl news conference on Thursday. 22 Syracuse, led by national passing leader Kyle McCord, is a 17-point favorite according to BetMGM in Friday night’s Holiday Bowl against the depleted Cougars, whose season has nosedived since mid-November. That’s who we’re going to show up on the field with.” The state of the game Kaligis said relationships between players and coaches are more important than ever, even if there’s less time to develop trust “and coach them the right way.” “When a staff leaves and guys get in the portal, it’s because of the relationships they have garnered with their position coaches. When I came to Wazzu, I was their fourth D-line coach.” Wazzu’s slump The Cougs improved to 8-1 by beating Utah State 49-28 on Nov. 9 but then lost three straight, including to Oregon State in the de facto championship game between the two teams left in the Pac-12.