Carlos Hernandez in the Holiday Bowl (Photo: USA Today/Arredondo)

THE 52-35 LOSS in the Holiday Bowl to No. 21 Syracuse didn’t only speak to the game itself, it offered a glimpse of the future at Washington State. If anything, the game in San Diego reinforced what Cougar fans should be taking away from the season itself, and what Cougar Nation can look forward to this offseason.

Ultimately, the players and coaches who stayed with the Cougars should be holding their heads high, something echoed by Fox TV color man Joel Klatt.

“If you’re a Cougar fan out there, you should be so proud of what these kids did tonight,” Klatt said. “They had coaches leaving, they had other players leaving and they went out there for each other … and Pete Kaligis did a wonderful job in this interim role bringing ’em together, and giving the team to the players. They wanted to go out there and play with their brothers one last time. Their performance was so admirable … they fought … So Coug Nation, be proud of this team.”

Here are CF.C’s three takeaways.