Although the WSU Cougars (8-5) lost the DirecTV Holiday Bowl to the No. 21 Syracuse Orange on Friday night, Pete Kaligis was among the breakout stars of the game.

Kaligis, 53, served as the assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach for Jake Dickert in 2024, his third year on the WSU coaching staff. He was named acting head coach by Anne McCoy after Dickert’s departure for Wake Forest last week.

While Kaligis will not continue to serve as the Wazzu head coach, he proved that loyalty and heart still have a place in college football, and likely has earned himself a chance for a promotion.

He inspired the team to fight through a difficult month and score 35 points in the Holiday Bowl. Although they lost, it felt at times like a moral victory for the Cougs.

“It’s about loving the young men and finding the depth of their soul and who they are, so you can coach them the way they want and need to be coached,” said Kaligis during his Holiday Bowl pregame interview.

He is a player-first coach, who believes that building relationships with athletes is the best way to help them succeed.

“I always ask young men the question, how can you ever become your best when the coaching staffs are always changing?”

Kaligis makes it his goal to understand his players and relate to them. He said he has been through coaching changes before and understands the stress it can give a player, and said the most he can do is believe in the team that stayed in Pullman.

His defensive players expressed gratitude and support both before and after the game.

“I love coach Kaligis,” said senior Andrew Edson. “He recruited me to go to Wyoming…I think he’s the best man for the job.”

Kyle Thorton was emotional after the game, and thanked Kaligis for helping him go from walk-on to starting linebacker and team captain.

“This man here to my left (Kaligis), there’s not many like him, and I wouldn’t be here without him, so thank you coach,” Thornton said.

Kaligis knows his players have the ability to win, and while the final score of the Holiday Bowl was not in their favor, the Cougs showed up and did not bow down without a fight.

“They all have talent, they need to believe in it.,” Kaligis said.

Kaligis will now have a chance to return to WSU with a very different coaching staff, and could potentially be in the mix for a promotion to defensive coordinator in 2025.