Potato Bowl: Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Fresno State Bulldogs | Full Game Highlights | ESPN CFB

[@BrodieHolmes24]

NIU has become my favorite 'smaller' school. Such a fun team to watch.

[@RandallGriffith-z1j]

TCU for me

[@dreaz9548]

​@@RandallGriffith-z1j tcu is not a smaller school

[@StraightFashionMan]

Yeah, but there is now speculation that they will join the Mountain West. They should stay in the MAC, where they belong!

[@DionysusAlS]

​@@StraightFashionMan, no. Us fans want them to play with the big boys and be in the playoff conversation some years. The Mid-American conference just isn't doing it.

[@RAAM855]

MAC teams are always fun to watch. Even if they aren't as talented as the powerhouse schools

[@rydescho]

The announcers for the game were awesome! Made this game great to watch!

[@Pokerstarsvevo]

XD So boring jajaj

[@georgesimon1760]

I'm glad they didn't have that Rod Gilmore guy. He did a different bowl and spent the whole game critiquing every little thing.

[@jawjadawgs1962]

Absolutely great announcers, you can tell they love their job.

[@k.c.beagle7102]

Annoying as heck

[@danielmoore8695]

Give that announcer a raise

[@32tall]

They were fire. But niu brings the joy to college football imo

[@Makai77]

NIU is almost always an entertaining watch but this guy's energy made this the game of the day! Great play-by-play and color commentary.

[@flynnnnnnnnnnn]

That coach is a cool dude, happy for big Thomas

[@darnelldarden9429]

That catch by Barnes for NIU was crazy. I thought for sure that was gonna be a pick

[@natureboygolfer]

Certainly looked like it. Play of the game if you're asking me!

[@jeffersonlee-i2z]

Being from Chicago, NIU has always been my favorite MAC school! A nice win for the Huskies to close out the rollercoaster season! There are going to be some field goal kiking openings for both teams next seaso!

[@johntucker5994]

Good job NIU!!! ND fan.

[@MichaelWilliams-vb6wr]

7:24 probably the best catch of 2024 that was spectacular

[@NewPragmatic]

“Best dump of my career” … solid gold.

[@datdude4150]

Great game and loved them dancing with the potato mascot at the end lol.

[@EastndFTball]

Those missed FGs… 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@dr7660]

Hate to “pin” a game on one player but he makes one of three and his team wins the game.

[@NiqueSmith]

So much for interrupting the Monday Night Football game between the Packers & the Saints from NOLA tonight.

[@2018josh]

Kickers are not a safe bet tho. If coach is aggressive, goes for a TD at the end of regulation then kicker either has an easy kick or a TD that ends it all. Coach put it on a foot of a kicker who isn’t confident and who missed twice already.

[@stischer47]

@@NiqueSmith You don't have to be here.

[@ternedo6074]

Id be mad if i was the Fresno st freshman kicker not getting reps but seeing him sell like that

[@stischer47]

Gratz Huskies!!! Hansen's tackle at the end was fantastic!!!

[@bradburke8363]

Great game I'm from dixon illinois, not very far from NIU ,well I'm a Michigan fan,but I allways have a place in my heart for Dekalbs finest.

[@mattsenft4810]

Aurora checking in.

[@blakebrown84]

Northern Illinois showed a lot of guts to be down and turn around to win in double overtime🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈

[@Makai77]

As a Boise resident, we go to this bowl game every year. And it's always a fun time! Let's go, Broncos! Beat Penn St.

[@briankapitbahay3096]

The team motto is "The Hard Way" and man they sure embody that. Keeping us on the edge of our seats at most games to the bitter, or glorious, end. Go Huskies!! A quality team from coaches to players.......

[@mm.f262]

Great Coaching. Tenacious, disciplined team. Proud of you guys!

[@maxtiffit4274]

I love to watch my home boys NIU play. and especially when they win!! Thank you boys ! a De Kalb Il resident.

[@davidedickjr]

THIS is a heartwarming win for NIU. Good team...with a coach to remember. Really a special man. Ya, Huskies were for real in 2024.

[@Qmoney615]

Now this is what a ball game should be in every witch way 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 great game matching for sure

[@russell10]

shame they missed the most critical play of the game because they were too consumed with commercials. Ridiculous

[@greysongladney4403]

That's espn for ya

[@georgesimon1760]

@@russell10 yea that was pathetic but not surprising from ESPN. Even outside of that the camera work was spotty.

[@SCSAsJorts]

Don’t matter the bowl all these games are important and man NIU played solid

[@2ktwoways]

watching from the netherlands🇳🇱

[@alphacraig2001]

Are you from the Netherlands? If so, how did you get into NCAA footballv

[@2ktwoways]

@ yess im from the netherlands born here eveything i started loving NFL / NCCAA i even play Madden becouse of Tom Brady the funny thing about everything is soccer is the most popular sport here i'm one of the few pple that don't like soccer and loves NFL/NBA

[@alphacraig2001]

@@2ktwoways It’s cool that you got into American Football despite not being from the US yourself, who are your favorite teams for NCAA and NFL if you don’t mind me asking?

[@2ktwoways]

@ in NCAA i really don't have one en in The NFL my favorite team is Bengals

[@zebarz]

Congratulation NIU! Hope you enjoyed your time here on the blue!

[@msdsez]

60,633 views on KZbin. That's pretty good. Blue skies and a blue field; crisp air; good feel. I was hoping for more butts in the seats but it was a fair contest with some exciting plays. Good stuff.

[@greysongladney4403]

Started the season with a bang and ended it with a bang

[@DiosDivine]

Fresno st Kicker is to blame. If he just made ONE kick...they win. He missed a 25 yard FG. Embarassing, coach should've subbed him out.

[@2018josh]

It’s the coach. They had 3 time outs and could have gone for a TD at the end. No reason to put it on the foot of a kicker who has no confidence and is struggling.

[@blankname6629]

Niu missed a kick also

[@SubmachineOP]

​@@2018joshbut that's three of them

[@sdaftermath123]

NIU missed an easy kick too though.

[@SubmachineOP]

@@sdaftermath123 yeah but NIU wins either way. Fresno could have one nailing one of them especially the last one

[@facetiouslyinsolent8313]

The Huskies need to send that kicker a gift and thank him for the win.

[@kinggator9878]

this team is fantastic. this game is special the announcer did a great job

[@w.neuman]

That FieLd-GoaL in The 4th•Quarter By NIU was Good !

[@maureencora1]

Congrats, Northern Illinois Huskies For a Great Year 2024.

[@DionysusAlS]

NIU alum here. Lower tier bowl game wins are nice and all, but the program needs to aspire to more and join the big dogs. Hopefully, they pull the trigger and join the higher profile Mountain West conference. That will help. And they need to play a couple of playoff-caliber power conference teams every year in their nonconference schedule. Playing Notre Dame this season was great. Unfortunately, beating them didn't propel them to the next level like I hoped it would. They were very pedestrian the rest of the season. Being able to recruit the Chicago and Rockford areas should be resulting in a higher level of talent than what they've been getting, despite the competition from bigger, more popular programs.

[@Blizzyyadigg2112]

Barnes catch just boosted his draft stock cuz that was ridiculous😮‍💨

[@nickmoffitt140]

Am i the only one seeing that NIUs field goal was good?

[@SamLoplearrrrrooosci]

It was good, it hooked inside the upright extended.

[@w.neuman]

I Manned-Up & Commented The Same Before I Read This ;-- GLAD To See I Wasn't The ONLY-ONE Though !

[@parkershelton76]

What a game

[@MylesG-i2d]

You can't miss that FG for the win it doesn't get any easier than that kick.

[@ws1435]

Great coach. Congrats NIU.

[@martianxmartin9959]

Niu has a bright future with their coach.

[@followthedrip4455]

Don’t get know better than that DOUBLE OVERTIME

[@tonydiablo6976]

Good job coach. Good job staff. Great job athletes, it shows you guys have heart and a legitimate love for the sport, God be with you all, God bless. 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@Band_Aid_Man_]

no way a Boise opponent win on the smurf turf! Congrats Northern Illinois!

[@pistolwhip.4167]

Going for 2 pts instead of kicking a fg was the difference. Knew it was over for Fresno when I saw that

[@TheBatmanjb]

I love this ball game you get some nice french fried potatoes at the end

[@KnoxvilleNorth]

0:29 i love the fresno state bulldongs

[@whoaboy64]

One of the best games of the 2020s

[@markhardworker]

It adds to my bragging rights with beating Notre Dame and there only loss (hope they go all the way to increase its value

[@johngrantham5508]

This bowl game is no small potatoes NIU deserve it

[@BlooveyMcgrady]

I was on the edge of my rem cycle the whole game!

[@SubmachineOP]

That fresno state kicker would fit perfectly on Florida State 😂

[@BryantBrothers-gm1qx]

Sometimes the games you think are gonna be garbage are pretty good

[@GeoAce777]

MACtion comes through in the clutch!

[@msdsez]

Not this one: I like both teams since the 80s. They both play any other team whether it's a mismatch or not on the road and always give it everything they have. Fresno State; Fresno's Great! Northern Illinois just capped off a season to be proud of.

[@horizonchaser6030]

Good Football Game. All this talk of SEC maybe Bushwhacking College Football, Smaller Teams Fight, Play just as Hard as well as FCS teams. Watching FCS playoffs having Great games. Go Ahead take your ball SEC. I'll be Fine. Congrats NIU Huskies.

[@mpup54]

Why would Fresno go for 2 on the first drive of the game. Thats basically what helped NIU reach OT even with all the missed field goals. This is why its bad to randomly go for 2 that early.

[@DarthStoned420]

Man imagine being that kicker for Fresno State GAME WINNER RIGHT IN YOUR FACE....

[@radattk3145]

fascinating game. congrats to NIU. dude gets a helmet to the face at 16:20

[@w.neuman]

Yah He Did, Took It Like A Super-Trooper ! 😮

[@Mikearoniandcheese]

Going for two points on the first touchdown in the first quarter is why Skipper did not get the HC job. Sadly that is indicative of Fresno St. football the past few years. 6-7 for a reason. So many games Fresno St. would just stop scoring, not like the defense stopped them they just did it to themselves.

[@MichaelWilliams-vb6wr]

Only go for 2 when you have to that was stupid to do that early in a game

[@mat3o557]

Congrats NIU! From a Boise fan 👍

[@unknown_crazy]

You know what’s crazy I was actually teammates with Josh Holst

[@jaleeldukes3620]

My cousin is 84 lol. Went crazy when we threw that TD

[@evanhuff8254]

He’ll ya

[@corvettezr1ification]

Fresno kicker knew he lost this one for them😂

[@TimBo8690]

Good job coach 🎉

[@andrew6069]

This bowl game will take some beating: 1. Bulldongs 2. 20 play, 80+ yard, 3x 4th down conversion drive for NIU ends with insane goal line stand by Fresno St 3. Special teams shenanigans 4. Fresno State takes out the Make-A-Wish QB and Wood instantly starts playing like Josh Allen 5. Absurd one-handed snag by NIU TE 6. Comeback! 7. Overtime! 8. NIU's listless offense out of nowhere remembers about the Detroit Lions and calls two successful reverse passes in 2OT to win 9. French Fries! What a game, I'm eager to see a bowl this year top this one but I'm not too sure it will happen!

[@Jakereisman11111]

17:04 AYYYEEE YOOO WHAT

[@ronflatter1235]

Only I would notice this. The goal posts did not match. The one on the left side, the north end, looks like a loaner to replace the one that was torn down after Boise State won the Mountain West championship. The one on the right, the south end, has been there forever. The giveaway is the strut actually connects underneath the crossbar on the right goal post, which has squared pipe. The strut is bolted right into the crossbar with four leveling bolts on the left goal post, which has rounded pipe.

[@calebb_42]

This was one of the few games in the Bowl Mania that I couldn’t choose on who to win. I ended up choosing NIU and if it wasn’t for Mr 0/3 Lynch, I wouldn’t be undefeated in COBM anymore 😂😅

[@FootballLover029]

I live in the town that the NIU campus is on so cool to see this

[@FredJohnson-o3s]

Congrats N.I.U. 🔴⚫

[@uuu817]

7:24 awesome catch

[@2018josh]

People it’s not the kicker. We don’t have a kicker. skipper knows that. If we don’t have a kicker then don’t run the clock out in the 4th quarter when you have 3 time outs. Should have gone for a touchdown and end it without the kicker. Skippers decision to play it safe with a kicker who missed twice before is proof he isn’t ready to lead the team. He is a great guy but needs more time before he can be a head coach.

[@SamLoplearrrrrooosci]

Buddy, NIU has one of the best defenses in the country. The coach played it right, set the kicker up with a chip shot FG right down the middle. The kicker is just a loser. The coach made the right decisions, the players need to execute.

[@2018josh]

Not one of the best defenses in the country. They played a great game against ND. That was great. But not even the best defense in the MAC.

[@SamLoplearrrrrooosci]

@ They give up 18.4 pts per game and some of those points are misleading because they have had punts blocked and returned for TDs against them. They would be lucky to win a game without their defense.

[@MrOZ55]

Great win for the Huskies. That is why they send players into the NFL.

[@roberttrout3588]

Feel bad that poor kid needs a kicking coach

[@D1connorEditzz]

Josh holst is my cousin 😅

[@georgesimon1760]

He was a pleasant surprise in this game.

[@jawjadawgs1962]

Great game. Catch of the game @ 7:53 mark, call of the game @ 3:51 "Spud Missile".

[@nnnnnopenoway8418]

Big fan of the Bulldongs... Go MWC

[@roofingohio]

Wood by far the best QB on the field. Fresno st. wins ez if coach starts Wood and plays him every down!!

[@Supremeballer1776]

WHAT A CATCH

[@davidmercado6951]

I love my NIU

[@nikoflow_fm9541]

What a fun game

[@nolanadams2467]

I wanted NIU to win but man thats tough for Fresno state

[@naturetrails8357]

Great game

[@ostrichwayne]

LOL they had this Bowl Game at Boise State Stadium.🏈

[@adamchan881]

We just got an early Christmas. I don’t know how the guy missed 3 field goals. Even I can make those. 😂

[@brion-l1b]

Thanks, ESPN, for zero bowl games on ESPN+ this year.

[@clareomarfran]

There were more players and staff on the field than fans in the stadium. But these bowl games are primarily television shows. Though I do enjoy Idaho potatoes.

[@stischer47]

Not all fans have the money to travel to bowl games, especially at small schools. The games are for the players and, judging by the NIU players, they are quite happy to be playing in a bowl game, esp. the seniors.

[@sawyerhinck2471]

This is better than the CFP

[@Soulmate-.]

Both team proved their college football quality…😂

[@hestoncjr.3560]

Let's just not talk about how they messed up the bulldogs name in the game

[@MtnTechie]

This game showcased two absolute POWERHOUSE teams proving that participation trophies DO matter!!

[@LGMBlunt2YoFace]

Wow! Kicker had the opportunity to WIN it for his team, but failed at the most critical moment! You’re definitely going to get BENCH or traded!! 😂😂😂

[@ericchapman5975]

Could win , Fresno is always a good game .

[@MrRiddler6]

Wood will have a good run at Fresno State with more development and time to grow. He already has flashes of McMaraian a few years back. However Lynch should get his scholarship removed three missed field goals with the last one costing Fresno State a bowl game.

[@Playsinvain]

This was great entertainment!

[@cedricmontgomery9342]

We are partying in Dekalb tonight

[@ronaldmczee9064]

Fresno State came with a real good game plan too many points left out there.

[@lykaojalao2733]

Those small bowls should not be playing on neutral fields. Look how empty this field is. Would have it be playing in Fresno or NI, the stadium would be packed.

[@stischer47]

It's for the money. The schools can't do the payout.

[@lykaojalao2733]

@ I understand that however, how can get money with empty stadium.

[@SubmachineOP]

​@@lykaojalao2733its Idaho.

[@ronaldmczee9064]

Good character win for Huskies

[@mikekoblosh8412]

Fresno's kicker needs to go back to high school. How did he ever get on the team? Does he practice? Does the coach know how bad he is?

[@skygh]

That was great

[@dewaynebrooks1696]

Let's Go Huskies!!!

[@Sope-gj2ki]

Sad seeing no one in the stadiums for these bowl games

[@LARRYHill-g6u]

GO HUSKIES !!!!