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Dec. 18—SEATTLE — Even with coach Jake Dickert leaving and players flocking to the transfer portal, Washington State will not opt out of the Holiday Bowl.
WSU Athletic Director Anne McCoy confirmed as much Wednesday, indicating that the Cougars will be in San Diego to play Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl, set for 5 p.m. on Dec. 27.
“We are very committed to playing in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl,” McCoy said in a Zoom news conference Wednesday, hours after head coach Jake Dickert left for the same job at Wake Forest. “We’ve been in ongoing conversations with the executive director and their administrative team, reassuring them of that.”
The idea was beginning to loom over WSU, which is now without its head coach, defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator, running backs coach and quarterbacks coach. As of Wednesday evening, 23 Cougars players had entered the transfer portal, including 11 starters, among them star quarterback John Mateer. The shelves were beginning to look bare.
Earlier this month, Dickert dismissed defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding, while offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and QBs coach John Kuceyeski both left for Oklahoma. Running backs coach Mark Atuaia took the same job at Utah.
With nearly 30 players entering the transfer portal after coach Charles Huff left for Southern Miss, Marshall decided to opt out of its bowl game, the Independence Bowl against Army. The Cougars will not be doing the same, McCoy said.
“The Holiday Bowl is one of the best bowl games in the country,” said McCoy, who added that she has no timeline for hiring a new football coach. “It’s one that Washington State obviously has a long tradition of playing in, and we’re extremely committed to that.”
Even so, the Cougars will have to do some reshuffling. Assistant head coach and defensive tackles Pete Kaligis will work as interim…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wsu-not-opt-holiday-bowl-045900212.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-12-19 04:59:00
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