The 2024 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl features the 7-5 Northern Illinois Huskies against the 6-6 Fresno State Bulldogs. Here is the 2024 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Preview.
Northern Illinois won seven games to be bowl-eligible this season. They defeated three bowl-eligible teams this year: Notre Dame, Bowling Green and Western Michigan. Only one of their losses was to a team that didn’t qualify for a bowl game, which was Ball State.
The Huskies score 24.2 points per game, ranking 95th in the country. They rush for 207.3 yards (ranked 16th) and pass for 176.1 yards per game (ranked 118th).
Ethan Hampton was the starting quarterback this year for the Huskies, but he is in the transfer portal. Josh Hoist is likely starting after passing for 411 yards, no touchdowns and one interception on 58 percent completion this season. Five pass-catchers have at least 200 yards for the Huskies. Leading receiver Trayvon Rudolph is in the transfer portal, so Cam Thompson will have to step up after registering 391 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
Three running backs have really carried a big work load for the offense. Gavin Williams leads the way with 741 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Antario Brown and Telly Johnson Jr. have 567 and 424 rushing yards respectively this season.
On defense, the Huskies allow just 18.42 points per game, ranking 15th in the country. They give up 111.8 rushing yards (ranked 19th) and 169.2 passing yards per game (ranked seventh). Jaden Dolphin leads the team with 56 total tackles. Devonte O’Malley has provided pressure on the quarterback with eight sacks on the year. Nate Valcarcel has made an impact in the secondary with eight passes defended and two interceptions.
Fresno State won six games to earn the right to play in a bowl game. They defeated two bowl-eligible teams this season: San Jose State and Colorado State. Three of their losses were to teams who didn’t make a bowl game: Hawaii, Air Force and UCLA.
The Bulldogs score 26.6 points per game, ranking 78th in the FBS. They pass for 245.1 yards (ranked 44th) and rush for 96.6 yards per game (ranked 124th).
Starting quarterback Mikey Keene is in the transfer portal. That means Joshua Wood or Jayden Mandal could be in line to start after passing for 15 and eight yards respectively this season. Three players had at least 500 receiving yards this season. Mac Delana is the leading receiver this season with 58 catches for 947 yards and eight touchdowns. The other two receivers with over 500 receiving yards are in the transfer portal.
There hasn’t been much success on the ground for the Bulldogs and they use a few different running backs. Elijah Gilliam has 466 rushing yards, while Bryson Donelson tallied 380. Malik Sherrod was injured after being projected to have a large role and is now in the transfer portal.
Defensively, the Bulldogs allow 24.6 points per game, ranking 67th in the country. They concede 217 passing yards (ranked 66th) and 137.6 rushing yards per game (ranked 48th). Tuasivi has been all over the field for the Bulldogs with 97 total tackles. Their top pass rusher, Phoenix Jackson, had four sacks, but is in the transfer portal, leaving a void. Cam Lockidge has been good at making plays on the ball with seven passes defended and five interceptions.
Both of these teams have key players in the transfer portal. Fresno State still has some top players on both sides of the ball. They should be able to focus on stopping the Northern Illinois rushing attack, making them pass to beat the Bulldogs. That will make things favorable for Fresno State.
Fresno State Bulldogs 23 Northern Illinois Huskies 14
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