The Fresno State football team is headed to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl to take on Northern Illinois University (NIU).
The game will be played in Albertsons Stadium, Boise State’s home field, on Monday, Dec. 23. Kickoff is set for 11:30 a.m.
This will be the 28th playing of the bowl game and a rematch of 2010 when the Huskies beat the Bulldogs 40-17 in the then Humanitarian Bowl.
This is Fresno State’s fourth straight bowl-eligible season as they finished with a 6-6 overall record. This will also be the Bulldogs’ 33rd bowl appearance in program history.
Both teams have a long time to prepare between their last games, having last played on Saturday, Nov. 30.
The Bulldog’s most recent game was a loss to UCLA in the Rose Bowl, 20-13. That same day, the Huskies beat Central Michigan 24-16 to finish the regular season at 7-5 and 4-4 in their Mid-American Conference.
The long break may help Fresno State, as there is much uncertainty about who will be on the field for the Dogs.
Many key starters have entered the transfer portal, leaving key positions to be filled. Quarterback Mikey Keene, wide receivers Raylen Sharpe and Jalen Moss and defensive back Al’zillion Hamilton are among the top names of Fresno State players who entered the portal
The players that have entered the portal have the option to sit out the bowl game.
With Keene gone, the Bulldogs may look to backup Joshua Wood to make the start in Idaho.
Interim Head Coach Tim Skipper will lead the ‘Dogs for one last time as Fresno State recently hired former University of Southern California (USC) linebackers coach Matt Entz. Skipper will look to repeat his success from last year’s New Mexico Bowl victory.
The Huskies defense has made it difficult for offenses across the country.
This season, Northern Illinois is giving up the fourth fewest yards in the country, with just 279.5 opponent yards per game. They are also first in third-down conversion percentage defense.
The defensive line for NIU is full of guys that can get in the backfield. Defensive tackle Dev O’Malley leads the team with 8 sacks and defensive end Roy Williams is second with 6.5 sacks.
In their second game of the season, the Huskies were able to beat the then-fifth-ranked Notre Dame, 16-14. The victory was the first over a Top 5 team in both school and Mid-American Conference history.
The offense for the Huskies is middle of the pack, averaging just above 21 points per game. But it is the defense that wins them games.
NIU currently leads the all-time series against Fresno State, 3-2.
Fresno State has an active bowl game-winning streak of five, which is third behind Georgia and Minnesota who each have seven. The Bulldogs will look to continue their streak against the favored Huskies on Monday, Dec. 23.