NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Dec. 26—SAN DIEGO — Here is what to watch for when Washington State takes on No. 22 Syracuse in Friday’s Holiday Bowl, set for 5 p.m. on Fox.
When Syracuse has the ball …
The name to know is Kyle McCord, the Orange’s veteran quarterback who led the country with 4,326 passing yards, plus 29 touchdown passes, tied for No. 5 nationally (with former WSU QB John Mateer). He connected on 367 of 558 passes (65.8%) with 12 interceptions, but none in his past four games. He might be the most prolific passer in the country.
McCord eclipsed 400 yards passing once, in a win over UConn, and he hit 300 in all other games except one. A former Ohio State transfer, McCord finished the regular season with a Pro Football Focus offensive grade of 90.3, No. 5 in the country among qualified quarterbacks. All the Cougars’ eyes will be on McCord and how to slow him down.
Part of that might be getting some pressure, an area in which the Cougars ran hot and cold this season, mostly struggling toward the back half of the season. Their sacks leader, defensive tackle Ansel Din-Mbuh, has departed for Texas. Defensive tackle David Gusta, also in the portal, won’t play with an ankle injury, acting head coach Pete Kaligis said Thursday.
That puts the onus on returning edge rushers like seniors Syrus Webster, Andrew Edson and Raam Stevenson to generate pressure on McCord. McCord took 24 sacks on the season, including four apiece in losses to Stanford, Pitt and Boston College. Not so coincidentally, those were the Orange’s only losses all season.
It might be a tall task for WSU to produce four sacks, with their best pass rushers in the portal, but the Cougars could help themselves out by forcing McCord to scramble. He’s a pocket passer, not the kind of dual-threat quarterback WSU often struggled to defend this season. That might mean if the Cougars…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/two-minute-drill-washington-states-045900329.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-12-27 04:59:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
