SAN DIEGO — On the day before Christmas, Washington State interim head coach Pete Kaligis led the Cougs through their first bowl practice on site in San Diego and says it felt like unwrapping an early present under the tree.
“It was really good, I think I had an early Christmas present,” WSU’s acting head coach said after Tuesday’s practice. “We had a little move-the-ball series in there and watched them compete, the offense moved it down to the low red and the defense put up a stop and held them to three. Just the competitiveness on both sides of the ball was exciting to watch.”
The secondary was a bright spot, with the corners getting their hands on the football. Kaligis said his biggest takeaway was the communication on the back end, something that ran hot and cold for the Cougars throughout the regular season.
“What I saw today with the defense was communication and pre-snap communication,” Kaligis said. “Everyone was talking, everyone knew what they were doing … once you know that, then you can play fast and play hard.”
The Cougars are still set to take on No. 21 Syracuse on Friday in the Holiday Bowl at 5 p.m. on Fox.
Related: Expect many familiar WSU faces in Holiday Bowl, says Pete Kaligis
THE LAST THREE WEEKS at Washington State have been among the more tumultuous times in program history. Former head man Jake Dickert left for Wake Forest, 29 Cougs in total have entered the portal at last count, and reports of palace intrigue continue to surface. So a trek from the cold of Pullman to the sunshine of San Diego has been a timely respite.
“I knew coming down here would energize us, getting out of Pullman would be good for us,” Kaligis said. “Just a new environment for these young men to be around. You get to a new environment, it just juices you up.”
ONCE THE BOWL GAME CONCLUDES on Friday night, the future is unclear. Some players will stay at WSU with the as-yet to be named new coaching staff, while others will disperse to new homes, and many of the graduating seniors will enter life after college football.
“To be together as a family we’re really looking forward to that,” Kaligis said. “We’re just so grateful for everyone because they’re also sacrificing their time to make sure we have a great time. I want to thank everyone involved in this for making this a special time for these young men.”
NOTABLE: While media were able to observe the bowl practice on Tuesday, they were barred from reporting anything roster-related (i.e. who was present or not present), or any of the granular practice details. From a coaching perspective, WSU doesn’t want to give away something that could help the opponent. Syracuse is favored by 17.
WSU-SYRACUSE GAME DETAILS:
- WHERE: Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego
- KICKOFF: Friday 5 p.m.
- TV: FOX (Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, and Jenny Taft)
- RADIO: Washington State IMG Radio Network
- WEATHER FORECAST: 61 degrees at kickoff, light winds, partly cloudy
- RECORDS: WSU is 8-4, Syracuse is 9-3
- THE SERIES: Syracuse leads 1-0
- LAST TIME: Syracuse beat WSU 52-25 in Syracuse in 1979
- ESPN matchup predictor: 49.8 percent chance Cougs win (that is not a typo)
- RANKINGS: Syracuse is No. 21 in CFP, No. 22 AP, No. 25 Coaches. WSU is unranked.
- THE LINE: Syracuse by 17
- CF.C PREDICTION: Syracuse 42-21
Related: Unwrapping the jumbled two-deeps vs. No. 21 Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl
