BROOKINGS, S.D. – A 28-point first-quarter scoring barrage by Illinois State stunned host South Dakota State, as the No. 13 Redbirds (8-3, 5-2 MVFC) raced out to a 35-0 lead and held on for a 35-21 win over the No. 15 ranked Jackrabbits (7-4, 3-4 MVFC) on Saturday afternoon at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
How It Happened:
•   The Redbirds took their opening drive of the game 62 yards in seven plays to find the endzone, as Tommy Rittenhouse found Daniel Sobkowicz for a big fourth-down conversion and the two later connected on an 11-yard touchdown to put the Redbirds up 7-0 with 13:05 left to play.
•   On South Dakota State's first drive, a tackle-for-loss by Patrick Bauer on second down put the Jackrabbits behind the sticks and Bauer came right back on the next play and intercepted a pass at the 5-yard line and ran it in for a touchdown to put the Redbirds up 14-0.
•   A muffed fair catch attempt on the ensuing Illinois State kickoff was recovered by Dereon Crowe and the Redbirds took over at the SDSU 28-yard line and needed just five plays to score again, as Rittenhouse and Sobkowicz connected on a 2-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal to ballon the lead to 21-0 with 10:29 left in the first quarter.
•   The Redbirds forced another big play on the next SDSU drive, as the snap on the punt attempt was bobbled and the Redbirds took over on downs at the SDSU 25-yard line. That led to a two-yard touchdown run by Rittenhouse as he dove just inside the far pilon to make it 28-0 with 6:26 remaining in the opening quarter.
•   Sobkowicz caught his third touchdown pass of the game, this one from nine yards out, to extend the Illinois State advantage to 35-0 with 10:15 remaining in the second quarter.
•   South Dakota State would get on the scoreboard with 5:03 left before halftime on a 14-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jack Henry, which cut into the Redbird lead at 35-7.
•   The Jackrabbits would score their second touchdown of the game with just 25 seconds left in the second quarter, as Henry connected on a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brayden Delahoyde to make the score 35-13 after the two-point conversion attempt failed as Doreon Dubose broke up a pass attempt in the end zone.
•   SDSU continued to chip away at the Illinois State lead early in the fourth quarter, as Josiah Johnson bowled his way into the endzone from two yards out to cut the score to 35-19 and a two-point conversion pass was good to make the score 35-21 with 14:37 left in the fourth quarter.
•   That is where the score would stay, as the Redbird defense came away with big stops in the fourth quarter that allowed the Redbirds to take a knee with under two minutes remaining to ice the game at 35-21
Game Notes: Â Â
•   With the win, the Redbirds improve to 5-0 on the road in 2025 against FCS opponents and the team is now 11-3 overall on the road the past two seasons, with two of those losses coming to FBS foes Iowa (2024) and Oklahoma (2025)
•   For the second-straight week, the Redbirds scored 28 points in a quarter with their 28 in the first quarter against the Jackrabbits. It was three points shy of the school record for most points scored in the opening quarter of 31.
•   Sobkowicz became the school's all-time receiving touchdowns leader in the game with his three scores, giving him 33 in his career and moving him past Tyrone Walker (32) for the all-time lead. His three TD receptions also tied a single-game high for the senior wideout and his 11 on the season are tied for fifth on the ISU single-season touchdown receptions list.
•   Bauer's interception was his second in as many weeks for the Redbirds and his pick six was the second of the year for the Redbird defense. Bauer would also record the game-sealing tackle-for-loss to finish the contest with three tackles, two TFLs and the pick six.
•   Dexter Niekamp's interception was the first of Redbird career, as he finished the game with two sacks, five tackles and the pick.
•   His older brother Tye Niekamp led the Redbirds with a career-high 16 tackles in the win against South Dakota State, as he was credited with nine solo stops, a forced fumble and a pass breakup against the Jack.
•   Doreon Dubose also had a career-high in tackles with 11 in the victory for ISU.
•  Rittenhouse accounted for four touchdowns (3 passing, 1 rushing) and scored on the ground for the fourth-straight game.
Next Up:
The Redbirds return home for the final game of the regular season next Saturday, when they host Southern Illinois for a Noon kickoff at Jay and Lori Bergman Field at Hanock Stadium on Senior Day.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
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