FARGO, N.D. – Illinois State erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter against defending FCS National champion and top-seeded North Dakota State on Saturday, as a touchdown pass from Tommy Rittenhouse to Daniel Sobkowicz with 1:00 minute remaining in the game pulled ISU within one. Rittenhouse then found Scotty Presson Jr. for a two-point conversion to put ISU (10-4) up by one and the defense held on for a thrilling 29-28 win over the No. 1 ranked Bison (12-1) in the second round of the FCS playoffs at Gate City Bank at the Fargodome.
How It Happened:
•   The Bison wasted little time, as they scored on a 78-yard touchdown pass from Cole Payton to Bryce Lance on their first play from scrimmage to take a 7-0 lead with 12:39 remaining in the first quarter.
•   After pinning the Redbirds deep in their own territory, forcing a Hayden Futch punt from the endzone, Jackson Williams returned the punt 52 yards for a touchdown to give the Bison a 14-0 lead with 4:40 left in the first quarter.
•   The Redbirds got on the board early in the second quarter, when running back Victor Dawson broke away for a season-long touchdown run of 69 yards to cut the Bison lead to 14-7 with 11:21 on the clock.
•   NDSU would extend the lead back to 14 points at 21-7, as Nathaniel Staehling hauled in a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage and returned it 73 yards for a pick six with 8:09 left before halftime.
•   Illinois State trimmed the North Dakota State advantage to a touchdown at 21-14, after Rittenhouse connected with Sobkowicz on an 8-yard passing score with just 50 seconds left before the break.
•   After a scoreless third quarter for both squads, the Bison took advantage after their fifth takeaway of the contest to score on a 4-yard touchdown run by Barika Kpeenu to push their lead to 28-14 with 12:38 left in the contest.
•   The Redbirds would claw back within a score with 2:44 to play, when Rittenhouse found Sobkowicz for the second time of the day to cut the Bison lead to 28-21.
•   After a forced fumble gave the Redbirds tremendous field position with under two minutes to play, Rittenhouse bootlegged to his right and threw back across his body to find a crossing Sobkowicz in the endzone for the score to get it within one point at 29-28.
•   The Redbirds then went for two and converted, as Rittenhouse found Presson wide open for the score and the win.
Game Notes: Â Â
•   The victory for the Redbirds snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Bison and the Redbirds are now 2-1 against NDSU in the FCS playoffs.
•   The win was the second for Head Coach Brock Spack against the No. 1 in the country on the road, following the team's 2014 win over No. 1 ranked New Hampshire in the FCS semifinals.
•  Illinois State has now won its last seven road games in a row against FCS opponents and improves to 13-1 against FCS foes on the road over the past two seasons.
•   The 69-yard touchdown run by Dawson was his longest of the season and the longest of the season for the Redbirds.
•   Dawson went over 100 yards for the third time this season, rushing for a season-high 137 and a score to pace the Redbird offense.
•   With his three touchdown passes, Rittenhouse now has 31 on the year which puts on top of the ISU single-season touchdown passes list ahead of Tre Roberson,
•   With his two sacks, Steffen tied a career high and his 3.0 tackles for loss were a new personal best.
Next Up:
The Redbirds will make a return trip to Davis, California, in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs to take on No. 8 seed UC Davis next Saturday. The Redbirds and the Aggies met last year in the second round of the playoffs.
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.
Â
