Fresno State Athletics
Monday, December 23
Boise, ID
11:30 a.m. PT
Fresno State
6-7 , 4-3
20
vs
28
NIU
8-5 , 4-4
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
OT
OT
F
NIU
3
0
10
0
7
8
28
Fresno State
13
0
0
0
7
0
20
Team Stats
NIU
FSU
Total Yards
368
328
Pass Yards
207
211
Rushing Yards
161
117
Penalty Yards
15
58
1st Downs
24
17
3rd Downs
4
3
4th Downs
4
0
TOP
39:14
20:46
1st Quarter
NIU 0, FSU 6
FSU - Donelson,Bryson 1 yd run (), 3 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:58
NIU 3, FSU 6
NIU - Woodill,Kanon 29 yd field goal 16 plays, 63 yards, TOP 08:44
NIU 3, FSU 13
FSU - Wood,Joshua 13 yd run (Lynch,Dylan kick), 4 plays, 90 yards, TOP 01:31
3rd Quarter
NIU 10, FSU 13
NIU - Barnes,Grayson 26 yd pass from Holst,Josh (Woodill,Kanon kick) 7 plays, 76 yards, TOP 03:31
NIU 13, FSU 13
NIU - Woodill,Kanon 34 yd field goal 5 plays, 34 yards, TOP 02:11
OT Quarter
NIU 13, FSU 20
FSU - Donelson,Bryson 9 yd pass from Wood,Joshua (Lynch,Dylan kick) 3 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00
NIU 20, FSU 20
NIU - Barnes,Grayson 3 yd pass from Holst,Josh (Woodill,Kanon kick) 5 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00
OT Quarter
NIU 28, FSU 20
NIU - Pardridge,Dane 25 yd pass from Dimopoulos,George (Holst,Josh pass) 1 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00
Game Leaders
CMP
16
TD
1
YDS
180
INT
0
CMP
3
TD
0
YDS
31
INT
1
Players Mentioned
DB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
K
/ FootballQB
/ Football
LB
/ FootballQB
/ Football
Photo by: Samuel Marshall
Bulldogs fall in double overtime to NIU
12/23/2024 4:00:00 PM | Football
BOISE, Idaho – Leading 13-3 at halftime, Fresno State fell in double overtime to Northern Illinois, 28-20, on Monday afternoon in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Albertsons Stadium. It was the Bulldogs' first defeat in a bowl game since 2014.
Bryson Donelson totaled 110 all-purpose yards (82 rushing, 28 receiving) and two scores. Joshua Wood finished with 180 yards passing on 16-of-23 attempts. Mac Dalena had six catches for 118 yards.
Tuasivi Nomura led the defense with a game-high 12 tackles.
How It Happened
After Jayden Mandal came up just short on a third-down scramble on the Bulldogs' opening possession, a snap infraction on fourth-and-short forced Fresno State to punt. On the next play, Jayden Davis picked off Huskie quarterback Josh Holst, returning the ball 26 yards to the NIU 25-yard line.
Following the sudden change, Mandal connected with Mac Dalena along the sideline for 21 yards. Two plays later, Bryson Donelson punched it into the end zone. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 6-0 with 11:29 on the clock.
NIU answered with a 29-yard field goal from Kanon Woodill following a 16-play drive that chewed up nearly nine minutes.
Fresno State struck quickly, going 90 yards in just four plays. A 54-yard strike over the top from Joshua Wood to Dalena set up a 13-yard touchdown run up the middle for Wood to put the 'Dogs up 13-3.
Aided by two fourth-down conversions, the Huskies put together a 20-play, 85-yard drive that used up almost 12 minutes. But with a first down inside the five, Fresno State's defense dug in after allowing three yards on first-and-goal. Devo Bridges forced Holst to throw the ball away on second down, and came up with a stop at the 1-yard line on third down. Malachi Langley stopped Telly Johnson Jr.'s final attempt to get into the end zone, leaving the Huskie running back a half-yard short.
Following a blocked punt by Kosi Agina with six seconds remaining in the half, Fresno State had an opportunity to add to its lead. Dylan Lynch's 42-yard attempt was wide right as the Bulldogs took a 13-3 lead into the locker room.
NIU started the second half with 10 unanswered points to tie the game at 13-13 less than eight minutes into the third quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs worked the ball down to the NIU 23-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-2, the 'Dogs elected to go for it but Wood's pass was just out of the reach for Richie Anderson. The Huskies followed with a near eight-minute drive to set up a 35-yard field goal. Woodill's attempt was pushed right, leaving the game tied.
Starting its drive with 3:02 remaining, Fresno State fed Donelson as the freshman piled up 45 yards on the drive to set up a 32-yard field goal. Lynch pulled his attempt left of the upright, forcing the game into overtime.
It took Fresno State just three plays to find the end zone in the first overtime period. On second-and-5, Wood found Donelson open on the left side for a 9-yard touchdown reception.
A defensive holding call on third-and-2 from the 6-yard line set up a first-and-goal from the 2 for the Huskies. Holst found Grayson Barnes to tie the game up at 20-20.
NIU scored on its next play and converted the two-point conversion to go up 28-20 in the second overtime.
A pair of incompletions and a one-yard run left the Bulldogs needing to convert a four-and-9. Wood was sacked to end the game.
Bryson Donelson totaled 110 all-purpose yards (82 rushing, 28 receiving) and two scores. Joshua Wood finished with 180 yards passing on 16-of-23 attempts. Mac Dalena had six catches for 118 yards.
Tuasivi Nomura led the defense with a game-high 12 tackles.
How It Happened
After Jayden Mandal came up just short on a third-down scramble on the Bulldogs' opening possession, a snap infraction on fourth-and-short forced Fresno State to punt. On the next play, Jayden Davis picked off Huskie quarterback Josh Holst, returning the ball 26 yards to the NIU 25-yard line.
Following the sudden change, Mandal connected with Mac Dalena along the sideline for 21 yards. Two plays later, Bryson Donelson punched it into the end zone. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 6-0 with 11:29 on the clock.
NIU answered with a 29-yard field goal from Kanon Woodill following a 16-play drive that chewed up nearly nine minutes.
Fresno State struck quickly, going 90 yards in just four plays. A 54-yard strike over the top from Joshua Wood to Dalena set up a 13-yard touchdown run up the middle for Wood to put the 'Dogs up 13-3.
Aided by two fourth-down conversions, the Huskies put together a 20-play, 85-yard drive that used up almost 12 minutes. But with a first down inside the five, Fresno State's defense dug in after allowing three yards on first-and-goal. Devo Bridges forced Holst to throw the ball away on second down, and came up with a stop at the 1-yard line on third down. Malachi Langley stopped Telly Johnson Jr.'s final attempt to get into the end zone, leaving the Huskie running back a half-yard short.
Following a blocked punt by Kosi Agina with six seconds remaining in the half, Fresno State had an opportunity to add to its lead. Dylan Lynch's 42-yard attempt was wide right as the Bulldogs took a 13-3 lead into the locker room.
NIU started the second half with 10 unanswered points to tie the game at 13-13 less than eight minutes into the third quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs worked the ball down to the NIU 23-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-2, the 'Dogs elected to go for it but Wood's pass was just out of the reach for Richie Anderson. The Huskies followed with a near eight-minute drive to set up a 35-yard field goal. Woodill's attempt was pushed right, leaving the game tied.
Starting its drive with 3:02 remaining, Fresno State fed Donelson as the freshman piled up 45 yards on the drive to set up a 32-yard field goal. Lynch pulled his attempt left of the upright, forcing the game into overtime.
It took Fresno State just three plays to find the end zone in the first overtime period. On second-and-5, Wood found Donelson open on the left side for a 9-yard touchdown reception.
A defensive holding call on third-and-2 from the 6-yard line set up a first-and-goal from the 2 for the Huskies. Holst found Grayson Barnes to tie the game up at 20-20.
NIU scored on its next play and converted the two-point conversion to go up 28-20 in the second overtime.
A pair of incompletions and a one-yard run left the Bulldogs needing to convert a four-and-9. Wood was sacked to end the game.
Post-Game Press Conference [10/25]
Saturday, October 25
FB Media Availability [10/21]: Camryn Bracha, Al'Zillion Hamilton, Bryson Donelson
Tuesday, October 21
FB Weekly Press Conference [10/20]
Monday, October 20
Post-Game Press Conference [10/10]
Friday, October 10