Fresno State kicker Dylan Lynch had three opportunities to make field goals on Monday, Dec. 23, in Boise, including a straight 35-yard attempt to win the game but missed all three. 

Fresno State’s bowl game winning streak ends at five with a 28-20 double overtime loss to the Northern Illinois Huskies in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl game at Albertsons Stadium, the home field of rival Boise State. 

The Bulldogs were without starting quarterback Mikey Keene, who officially announced his transfer to the University of Michigan this morning via social media. Keene and the Bulldogs lost to the Wolverines during week one. 

With Keene gone, Fresno State got a first look at young quarterbacks Jayden Mandal and Joshua Wood, who split playing time throughout the game. 

Wood played most of the second half, finishing the day completing 16-of-23 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown pass. He also ran the ball 11 times for 32 yards and another score. 

Freshman running back Bryson Donelson ran the ball 15 times for 82 yards on the ground. He also had three catches and for 28 yards receiving and a pair of scores, one with his hands and one with his feet. 

Fresno State had only 62 scholarship players available on Monday with several players in the transfer portal including Keene, wide receivers Jalen Moss (Arizona State) and Raylen Sharpe (Arkansas), linebacker Phoenix Jackson (Baylor), defensive lineman Gavriel Lightfoot (Colorado) and defensive back Julian Neal (Stanford), among others. 

After the game, interim head coach Tim Skipper spoke to the media for the final time.

What happened

After a trio of runs from Donelson and Mandal, a false start penalty forced the Bulldogs to punt on its first drive. 

Huskies quarterback Josh Holst gave the ball right back to the ‘Dogs on his first drive with an interception to Bulldogs safety Jayden Davis, who took the ball 26 yards to the Huskies’ 25-yard line. 

Mandal found senior wideout Mac Dalena for a 21-yard pass, knocked out of bounds on the right corner, just before the end zone. A play later, Donelson punched through to get the Bulldogs on the board. With a failed two-point conversion, Fresno State led 6-0. 

The Huskies responded with a 16-play drive that resulted in a 29-yard field goal from kicker Kanon Woodill, cutting the deficit in half. 

Skipper made the switch at quarterback to Wood who immediately ran the ball for 10 yards. Following a 13-yard run from Donelson, Wood found Dalena open down the field for a 54-yard catch. Wood then ran the ball in from 13 yards out to make it 13-3 Bulldogs. 

Northern Illinois controlled the ball for most of the second quarter with a 20-play, 85-yard drive that took up nearly 12 minutes. A pair of runs from running back Telly Johnson Jr. was cut short at the goal line by the Fresno State defense, ending the scoring pursuit. 

Backed up into the end zone, Wood led the Bulldogs on a 13-play, 68-yard drive. A 49-yard field goal attempt from Lynch came up just short. 

With less than 30 seconds left in the half, Fresno State’s defense forced a three-and-out before a blocked punt by defensive back Kosi Agina. It gave the Bulldogs great field goal position, but Lynch missed again to the right of the post, this time a 42-yard attempt. 

Fresno State went into halftime with a 13-3 lead.

On the first drive of the second half, The Huskies took advantage of a huge pass interference call. It was part of a 7-play, 76-yard drive that was capped off by a 26-yard pass from Holst to tight end Grayson Barnes to make it a 13-10 game. 

The Huskies’ defense kept the momentum going, intercepting Mandal over the field and finding the hands of safety Nate Valcarcel. 

A 34-yard field goal from Huskies’ kicker Kanon Woodill tied the game at 13-13 with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter. Neither team would score for the rest of the quarter. Fresno State’s offense was limited to just 15 yards across three drives in the quarter. 

After forcing a punt, the Bulldogs offense appeared to be getting it going but a fourth down incomplete pass from Wood, intended for tight end Richie Anderson ended the drive with just under 11 minutes remaining in the game. 

Northern Illinois used a seven-plus minute drive to march down the field, but another missed goal came, this one from Woodill kept the game at 13-13 and gave the ball back to Fresno State. 

The ‘Dogs moved the ball into Huskies’ territory with a series of strong runs from Donelson and a 16-yard pass from Wood to Dalena. The senior wide receiver caught six balls for 118 yards in his final game as a Bulldog. 

The Bulldogs ran the clock down to four seconds, setting up Lynch with an opportunity from 35 yards out to win the game. The Fresno State kicker missed again, sending the game to overtime. 

Wood completed three passes to begin overtime, including a nine-yard pass to Donelson in the end zone. The extra point from Lynch made it 20-13. 

The Huskies got the ball, needing to score a touchdown to keep the game alive. On third and two, Fresno State was called for defensive holding. 

On the next play, they pulled off some trickery with tight end Barnes getting the ball on a sweep, only to then find Holst for a touchdown, sending the game into a second overtime. 

The trickery continued with wide receiver George Dimopoulous finding wideout Dane Partridge for the go-ahead touchdown. 

On fourth-and-nine, Wood was sacked to end the game and the season for Fresno State on a sour note. 

What’s next 

The Bulldogs are transitioning into a new era under a brand new head coach, Matt Entz. 

Entz and the ‘Dogs begin the 2025 season on Saturday, Aug. 23, in Lawrence, Kansas as they take on the Jayhawks. They will host the Georgia Southern Eagles for the home opener at Valley Children’s Stadium the following Saturday.