WSU's Zevi Eckhaus will lead the now depleted Cougars on Friday in the Holiday Bowl. He's embracing the opportunity and staying positive, despite the turmoil.

Zevi Eckhaus knew about as much as the rest of the world did. Earlier this month, as the Washington State quarterback waited for star John Mateer to decide whether to stay or leave the school, Eckhaus didn’t have any tips on Mateer’s thinking, no clues on which way he might have been leaning.

Washington State finds itself in a situation that has become quite common in college football this time of year: a different QB will be under center for the Cou

WSU (8-4) faces No. 21 Syracuse (9-3) in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl at 5 p.m. today (FOX) at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. The Cougar football team that runs into Snapdragon Stadium today will look dramatically different than the one that beat San Diego State in the same stadium in October and lost to lowly Wyoming 15-14 on Nov. 30 at Gesa Field.

Enter Washington State backup quarterback Zevi Eckhaus, who steps into the starter’s role. Eckahus’ 85.7% completion percentage is among the best in the nation. Of course, he has attempted only seven passes (six completions).