Northern Illinois Huskies at Fresno State Bulldogs
· Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Dimopoulos shines in double OT and Northern Illinois beats Fresno State 28-20 in Idaho Potato Bowl
Dimopoulos, who played quarterback in high school, also converted the two-point conversion when he passed it to quarterback Josh Holst for his second completion of the season.
Holst, a freshman walk-on, was making just his third start at quarterback as NIU was without starter Ethan Hampton, who entered with 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns to go with six interceptions. Holst completed 18 of 30 passes for 182 and two touchdowns for Northern Illinois (8-5). He was also intercepted on the first play of the game.
Both teams missed a 35-yard field goal in the final three minutes of regulation, including Dylan Lynch's third miss of the game on the final play to send it to overtime.
Fresno State started overtime with a touchdown when Bryson Donelson was left wide open out of the backfield to haul in a 9-yard touchdown pass. NIU needed five plays, and a defensive holding penalty, to score as Holst found Grayson Barnes for a 3-yard touchdown.
Donelson finished with 15 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown for Fresno State (6-7). He added three catches for 28 yards and another score. Dual-threat quarterback Joshua Wood was 16 of 23 for 180 yards and a touchdown. Mac Dalena made six catches for 118 yards to help go over 1,000 yards for the season.
Fresno State was without 14 players, including starting quarterback Mikey Keene after he transferred to Michigan. Two top-three receivers, Jalen Moss and Raylen Sharpe, also did not play as the Bulldogs were forced to use five new starters.
How To Watch
How can I watch Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Fresno State Bulldogs?
- TV Channel: Huskies at Bulldogs 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on ESPN.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
 |
TD | 1st Period 11:29 | Bryson Donelson 1 Yd Run (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) |
 |
FG | 1st Period 2:45 | Kanon Woodill 29 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 1st Period 1:08 | Joshua Wood 13 Yd Run (Dylan Lynch Kick) |
|
TD | 3rd Period 11:22 | Grayson Barnes 26 Yd pass from Josh Holst (Kanon Woodill Kick) |
|
FG | 3rd Period 7:39 | Kanon Woodill 34 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 5 0:00 | Bryson Donelson 9 Yd pass from Joshua Wood (Dylan Lynch Kick) |
|
TD | 5 0:00 | Grayson Barnes 3 Yd pass from Josh Holst (Kanon Woodill Kick) |
|
TD | 6 0:00 | Dane Pardridge 25 Yd pass from George Dimopoulos (George Dimopoulos Pass to Josh Holst for Two-Point Conversion) |
Statistics
 NIU |
 FRES |
|
|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1st Downs | 17 |
| 4-16 | 3rd down efficiency | 3-10 |
| 4-6 | 4th down efficiency | 0-2 |
| 368 | Total Yards | 328 |
| 207 | Passing | 211 |
| 19/31 | Comp/Att | 19/29 |
| 6.7 | Yards per pass | 7.3 |
| 161 | Rushing | 117 |
| 48 | Rushing Attempts | 27 |
| 3.4 | Yards per rush | 4.3 |
| 1-15 | Penalties | 8-58 |
| 1 | Turnovers | 1 |
| 0 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
| 1 | Interceptions thrown | 1 |
| 39:14 | Possession | 20:46 |
Game Information
Location: Boise, ID
Attendance: 10,359 · Capacity:
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