The Northern Illinois University Huskies are headed to Boise, Idaho and the blue turf of Boise State’s Albertson Stadium for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl where NIU will take on Fresno State of the Mountain West Conference on Monday, December 23, 2024. The game will kick off at 1:30 p.m. (CT) on ESPN.

NIU, which closed out the regular season 7-5 overall, 4-4 in the Mid-American Conference, will make its 13th bowl appearance in the last 17 seasons, its 16th as a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team and plays in a bowl for the 21st time in school history. Fresno State finished 6-6 overall and 4-3 in the Mountain West Conference.

“We are excited for the 2024 Huskies to add to NIU Football’s bowl tradition by making our second appearance in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise,” said NIU Vice President/Director of Athletics and Recreation Sean T. Frazier. “Having the opportunity to play a quality Mountain West Conference opponent on the iconic blue turf at Boise State and experience a new region of the country will be a fantastic experience for our student-athletes, staff and fans.”

NIU, with a roster that included 30 seniors, was the talk of the college football world after its 16-14 win over fifth-ranked Notre Dame on September 7, the first win over a Top 5 team in school and in Mid-American Conference history.  The Huskies relied on one of the top defenses in school history to earn bowl eligibility for the second straight season with three wins in their last four games as four of the Huskies’ five losses came by a total of 19 points. NIU ranks in the Top 15 in the country in six defensive categories, including fifth in the nation in total defense and second in third down conversion percentage defense.

Fresno State finished fourth in the 12-team Mountain West Conference with a 4-3 record and reached bowl eligibility for the fourth straight season with a 6-6 record under interim head coach Tim Skipper. Matt Entz, a two-time FCS national championship winning head coach at North Dakota State who spent the 2024 season as linebackers coach and assistant head coach for defense at USC, was named the Bulldogs’ head coach on December 4. FS is playing in the Boise bowl game for the fourth time.

“We are extremely excited to have an opportunity to go to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and play a strong Mountain West opponent in Fresno State,” said NIU head coach Thomas Hammock, who wraps up his sixth season at NIU in Boise.  “There is no such thing as a bad bowl and I have heard nothing but great things about Boise and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. What a great reward for the hard work and dedication the players and coaches have put in all year long.  We love the date of the game, which gives us time to develop our younger players during these bowl practices and then allows everyone to enjoy the holidays. Playing a team we haven’t seen before [during my tenure] is always exciting and Fresno State will present a great challenge. Our players and staff are determined to do everything we can to bring a bowl trophy home for the second year in a row.”

The Huskies and Bulldogs play in Boise for the second time as the teams last met in the 2010 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (then known as the Humanitarian Bowl) on December 18, 2010, with NIU claiming a 40-17 win behind quarterback and game MVP Chandler Harnish, running back Chad Spann and defensive end Jake Coffman.

NIU leads the all-time series with Fresno State 3-2. In addition to the 2010 bowl game victory, the Huskies won at Fresno State in 1973 (24-15) and defeated the 24th-ranked Bulldogs 73-18 on Oct. 6, 1990, in DeKalb. FS claimed victories over NIU in 1991 (55-7) and won the first game ever played between the teams, 9-6, in 1972.

The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, which is being played for the 28th time in 2024, is the longest-running cold weather bowl game in college football and celebrates the spirit of winter, football and potatoes in the beautiful Idaho mountains. The Mountain West has been represented in nine of the last 11 games, while the MAC has earned a spot in the game in 11 of the last 14 years. The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is one of 17 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN.

Tickets for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl are priced between $20-$80. Click here or go to niuhuskies.com/IDPotatoBowl to purchase tickets in NIU’s allotment.

Priority-based tickets are available at the $65 and $70 price points and will be allocated based first on 2024 Huskie Athletic Fund giving level and then priority points within that level. Contact the Huskie Athletic Fund with questions about your annual giving level or priority points rank at 815-753-1923 or email HuskieAthleticFund@niu.edu.

To increase your giving level, please contact the Huskie Athletic Fund or go to www.HuskieAthleticFund.com and click on the Give Now button. The priority deadline to purchase tickets to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is Friday, December 18 at 5 p.m.