SAN DIEGO, CA – For the first time since landing in San Diego, Syracuse head coach Fran Brown answered questions from the media about the Orange’s upcoming appearance in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl on Friday night.

“We are extremely grateful and happy to be here. It means a lot to us to have the opportunity to play in such a prestigious ballgame,” said Coach Brown.

What to look for before the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl

As the Orange and Washington State Cougars head toward the same bowl game, both teams are going in very different directions. The Cougars have lost three games in a row to close out their season and will be without several key components of their team. Former head coach Jake Dickert has accepted a job at Wake Forest, and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle has taken the same job at Oklahoma. QB John Mateer has also moved to the Oklahoma Sooners. Other key players such as RB Wayshawn Parker, WR Kris Hutson, CB Ethan O’Connor and DT Ansel Din-Mbuh are also not known to the transfer portal.

Kyle McCord confirms he will play in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl

Coach Brown says since he heard several starters wouldn’t play, he’s been taking notes on their backups.

“I thought he did a really good job as a running back. I took my own notes. I think he did a really good job all year just running the ball game. The opportunity to be in there, to be able to run.” He played football well.

Coach Brown also spoke about interim coach Pete Kaligis and his strategy for the game.

“We know it will be a difficult football team, especially when you have a guy on defense who has his heart and soul as a head coach. So we know we have our hands full and we’re excited and grateful for it. “I have the opportunity to play against these guys and I also want to all the Syracuse fans, the Syracuse alum and just everyone in the country say happy holidays.”

Both Coach Brown and Coach Kaligis spoke about the transfer portal and the impact it can have on a team during the regular season and postseason.

“We are who we are. We have what we have. I know that applies to both of us. The current state of college football has changed because of the portal,” Kaligis said.

“It’s a completely different game that we have to adapt to as coaches. And that’s when you really start to realize that relationships are important. And when the staff leaves and the guys come into the portals, it’s because of the relationships they have. You.” It used to be that we wanted to build some of the nicer buildings in the country and have them where the buildings were you know, it’s going to be a different ball game where the kids are going to school now, right. I think that was really the most important thing. So as long as you have a good initial plan, you stay consistent “I love the players, like you said. They understand and know that you love them,” Coach Brown said.

“I don’t think you’ll have too much to worry about. You know, there’s going to be a lot of places that offer a whole lot of money, but I think there’s a lot of kids that are looking for relationships and the relationships mean more because they’re going to do more in the long run,” Coach Brown said.

“My goal was to play on Wednesday. And we missed that a little bit. That’s why we’re really grateful to have been able to play in such a prestigious bowl. But I want to play next Wednesday. And we can do that. “In order to do that, we have to adapt and be able to compete on our time to keep the guys out of the portal so they know we want to be with us,” Brown said .

ABOUT THE EGG BATH:

This year, the celebratory “eggnog serving” for the winning trainer will take place for the second time. At Thursday’s press conference, coach Fran Brown avoided the potential dip by letting us all in on a little secret:

“I am allergic to eggs. So Dan Villari got a NIL deal or he gets the NIL deal and they’ll do something. I think Meyers Creek has already said that they would love it if he was the guy to do that.” So I’m allergic to eggs, but I’d definitely like to pour the eggnog over Dan.

Villari, one of the Orange’s tight ends, retweeted CNY Central’s Ashley Wenskoski in support of his coach’s decision.

The Syracuse Orange (9-3) will face the Washington State Cougars (8-4) in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl in San Diego this Friday, December 27th. Kick-off is at 8 p.m