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BOISE, IDAHO – NIU secured back-to-back bowl wins for the first time since 2010-11 with a thrilling 28-20 victory Monday in double overtime against Fresno State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
The Huskies (8-5) and Bulldogs both scored touchdowns on their first possession in overtime, before NIU scored again in the second OT period and held Fresno State on four straight plays to secure the win.
Here are five key moments in the victory over Fresno State (6-7).
Run it back in double OT
With both teams scoring in the first OT period, NIU got the ball first in the second, and the Huskies found a play that they liked so much they ran it twice.
Dipping into their bag of tricks, the Huskies used a wide receiver pass on their first play from scrimmage. Crystal Lake Central High School grad George Dimopoulos took a handoff as the play looked like it was developing into a sweep before he hit Dane Pardridge for a 25-yard scoring strike.
Forced to attempt a 2-point conversion due to overtime rules, NIU went back to nearly the same play with a little wrinkle. Dimopoulos threw to quarterback Josh Holst, a Marengo High School grad, for the 2-point conversion to put the Huskies up by eight.
On Fresno State’s ensuing possession, NIU’s smothering defense put quarterback Joshua Wood under pressure on the first three plays, resulting in incomplete passes before Jordan Lynch sacked Wood to end the game.
Holst finds his sea legs
If first plays were any indication of how Holst’s day was going to go, it was going to be a bad one.
Holst lofted a long pass that was intercepted by Jayden Davis on the Fresno State 49 and returned 26 yards to the NIU 25. Three plays later, Fresno State hit pay dirt on a 1-yard TD run by Bryson Donelson, and the Huskies were in an instant 7-0 hole less than four minutes into the game.
But in just Holst’s third start for the Huskies, the Marengo product showed why he was tapped to lead NIU after starter Ethan Hampton entered the transfer portal after the regular season.
By the second quarter, Holst settled into the game and made some nice downfield throws to get some chunk yardage. He also was dangerous with his legs, extending plays and picking up several first downs after the pocket collapsed. He finished as the bowl’s MVP, passing for 182 yards and two TDs and leading the team in rushing with 65 yards.
Fresno State’s QB experiment fail
By design, Fresno State played two quarterbacks, giving them equal time. But they clearly were not the same.
Wood seemed to shine the brightest for the Bulldogs, which struggled for most of the day against NIU’s stubborn defense. But Fresno State continued to share time with regular starter Jaydan Mandal until the second half.
Wood was 16-of-23 passing for 180 yards and a touchdown, while Mandal was 3 of 6 for 31 yards and an interception.
20-play drive fizzles
In the second quarter, NIU put together one of the longest drives in college football this season by number of plays and time of possession, marching 85 yards in 20 plays over 11:45. But it was an ending the Huskies would like to have back.
After converting three fourth-down attempts during the drive that started on NIU’s 14, the Huskies had three chances to get the ball into the end zone from the Fresno State 1 but couldn’t get through the Bulldogs’ defense.
After Telly Johnson took the ball on first-and-goal from the Fresno State 4 to the 1-yard line, Holst couldn’t connect on a pass play after getting flushed out of the pocket. Then the Bulldogs stuffed Johnson on two straight plays up the middle to maintain their 13-3 lead with 4:15 left in the half.
Kicking woes
Both teams struggled in the kicking game, missing several opportunities to get ahead in the game.
With Fresno State leading 13-3 late in the first half, Bulldogs placekicker Dylan Lynch missed twice in the final 30 seconds of the half. He missed a 49-yarder with 29 seconds left, leaving it just short. Then after a quick three-and-out, Fresno State called a timeout with 10 seconds remaining to force an NIU punt, which was blocked. The ball was recovered by NIU, setting up a 42-yard attempt with six seconds remaining, which Lynch proceeded to miss.
The most painful miss for NIU was Kanon Woodill’s 35-yard attempt that went wide right with 3:02 remaining in the game.
But Fresno State returned the favor when Lynch missed his third kick of the game, hooking a 35-yard attempt on the final play of regulation that would’ve won it for the Bulldogs.