2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl The 2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl , the 15th edition of the game , was a post - season American college football bowl game , held on December 17 , 2011 at Bronco Stadium on the campus of Boise State University in Boise , Idaho as part of the 2011 – 12 NCAA Bowl season . This was the first year the game was known as the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl . The game was known as the Humanitarian Bowl in 2010 . The game , which was telecast at 3 : 30 p . m . MT on ESPN , featured the Utah State Aggies from the Western Athletic Conference ( WAC ) , and the Ohio Bobcats from the Mid - American Conference . Utah State accepted a bid to compete in the 2011 edition of the game on November 28 , with Ohio accepting the other bid on December 4 . Teams . Utah State University . On November 28 , 2011 , the Utah State Aggies accepted an invite to represent the WAC . The Aggies entered the bowl with a record of 7 – 5 , their first winning season since 1996 . One notable game from Utah State ' s season was against defending national champions Auburn , where they nearly upset the Tigers 38 - 42 . The 2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl marked the first appearance in a bowl game for Utah State since the game ' s very first incarnation as the 1997 Humanitarian Bowl . The Aggies were looking for their first bowl win since the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl . Utah State entered the game on a 5 game winning streak after starting 2 - 5 . Ohio University . On December 4 , 2011 , the Ohio Bobcats accepted an invite to represent the MAC . The Bobcats entered the bowl with a record of 9 – 4 and were the MAC - East division champions . However , they lost to NIU in the 2011 MAC Championship Game 20 - 23 . The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl marked the third consecutive appearance in a bowl game for Ohio , following the 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl and the 2010 New Orleans Bowl . The Bobcats hoped to win their first bowl game in school history . The two teams had met before on September 17 , 1994 , when Utah State won 5 - 0 at Ohio . Game summary . Utah State received the ball first and drove to the 1 yard line of Ohio . However , the Aggies were unable to convert to on a 4th down , turning the ball over to Ohio . On Ohio ' s first drive , quarterback Tyler Tettleton recovered his own fumble and ran to the back of his endzone for a safety . USU scored in again in the 1st quarter on a 3 - yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tarren Lloyd to go up 9 - 0 . Ohio cut the lead to 2 in the second quarter when Tettleton completed a 26 - yard pass to Derek Roback . Ohio received the ball to start the second half , but had to punt the ball away after they were unable to get a first down . On the ensuing drive , Utah State ' s Michael Smith rushed for a 63 - yard touchdown to go up 16 - 7 . Ohio responded with a 32 yard field goal to make the score 16 - 10 . However , Utah State went up 23 - 10 with another rushing touchdown from Michael Smith . Ohio was able to respond again with a 44 - yard touchdown pass to LaVon Brazill to cut the deficit to 17 - 23 . The Aggies had a chance to end the game with possession at their own 7 - yard line with 4 : 23 to go . However , Utah State had to punt the ball away with 2 : 21 left . The Bobcats were able to drive down the field and score on a 1 - yard rush by Tettleton with 13 seconds remaining , going up 24 - 23 after the extra point . The Bobcats were able to hold to victory after the Aggies were unable to score on their final possession . With the win , the Ohio Bobcats won their first bowl game in school history . The Bobcats also had their first 10 - win season since 1968 . Scoring Summary . Source . Referee call . This game was notable for a confusing set of explanations by referee Penn Wagers on the play that led to the game - winning touchdown . The initial ruling on the field is that Ohio wide receiver LaVon Brazill had crossed the goal line for the touchdown on a reception from Tyler Tettleton . But a replay review of the play was issued following the play to determine if Brazill was downed before getting the ball into the end zone . After a first look , Wagers came out to confirm the touchdown , indicating that the evidence is clear that the Brazill scored the touchdown . But there was confusion as to the reason it was a touchdown . It appeared that Brazill fumbled the ball and since he recovered his own fumble , that he is allowed to advance it making the score a touchdown . After further discussion , Wagers came out and said : However , after another review , the touchdown was reversed since Brazill was downed before getting the ball into the end zone . Wagers then said : Two plays later , Ohio scored the game - winning touchdown .