Tommy Rittenhouse threw five interceptions on Saturday. He atoned big-time when it mattered most.
The Illinois State quarterback threw two touchdown passes to wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz in the final three minutes and completed a gutsy 2-point PAT as the unranked Redbirds defeated No. 1 North Dakota State 29-28 in the second round of the FCS playoffs in the Fargodome on Saturday.
The Bisons (12-1), the No. 1 seed, were defending FCS champions and had not lost since Nov. 23, 2024. The Bisons won the FCS title 10 times from 2011 to 2024 and had beaten the Redbirds 14 straight times.
WE TOLD Y’ALL ABOUT THAT RITTENHOUSE TO SOBKOWICZ CONNECTION 🤯 https://t.co/Qt7MuPLLKr pic.twitter.com/2dVZxKMTnT
— Illinois State Football (@RedbirdFB) December 6, 2025
By most measures, the Redbirds (10-4) had little chance of winning. The Bisons returned one of Rittenhouse’s picks 73 yards for a touchdown and another one 21 yards to the Illinois State 4, leading to a touchdown that gave NDSU a 28-14 lead with less than 13 minutes remaining in the game.
But NDSU senior quarterback Cole Payton, considered an NFL draft prospect, struggled for most of the game and completed 4 of 12 passes for 101 yards and one touchdown. He was hurt after being strip-sacked by Jake Anderson, who recovered the fumble to give Illinois State the ball at the NDSU 23 with 1:51 left in the game.
Several plays later, on fourth down and goal from the NDSU 6, Rittenhouse found Sobkowicz for their third TD connection of the day to bring the Redbirds to within a point.
But rather than try a PAT kick and potentially send the game into overtime, Illinois State head coach Brock Spack opted to go for 2. Rittenhouse fired a dart to Scotty Presson Jr. in the end zone to put the Redbirds on top.
REDBIRDS WITH A 2PT CONVERSION🤯🤯
📺ESPN+#ValleyFootball x #FCS x @RedbirdFB x @NCAA_FCS pic.twitter.com/llBWjZmnVm
— Valley Football (@ValleyFootball) December 6, 2025
Taking over at QB for the injured Payton, Nathan Hayes got the Bisons to their own 44 but couldn’t convert on fourth down with 12 seconds left.
Illinois State will play the winner of the UC Davis-Rhode Island game in the next round. The FCS bracket is shown here.