Daniel Sobkowicz caught two touchdown passes Saturday at Murray State and helped Illinois State pile up its most passing yards in a game since 2019. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Barry Bottino
By throwing for 386 yards in Saturday’s victory against Murray State, the Illinois State offense posted its biggest passing output in more than five years.
But it didn’t come easy at first.
“We had a slow start, but it definitely felt nice to put it together in the end and get a nice win,” ISU junior wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz told Prairie State Pigskin after the Redbirds’ 40-32 win.
Junior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse started the game 2-for-7, including three missed connections with Sobkowicz. The first quarter included five consecutive incompletions for Rittenhouse, who is completing 65% of his passes this season.
Rittenhouse’s interception late in the second quarter was his sixth of the season and led to a Murray State touchdown that trimmed ISU’s lead to 16-14 at halftime.
“Everyone struggles sometimes,” Sobkowicz said. “When you can battle adversity and (rebound), that’s what he did. He bounced right back after the interception and did really well. It’s not how hard you fall, it’s about how you get up.”
Rittenhouse started the second half 9-for-10 for 97 yards and rushed for a 26-yard third-quarter touchdown that helped Illinois State improve to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
He also helped ISU post its biggest day through the air since Brady Davis passed for 419 yards against Northern Arizona on Sept. 21, 2019, in Normal.
Rittenouse was quick to spread out the credit, highlighting the ISU offensive line, Sobkowicz, wide receiver Xavier Loyd (five catches, 148 yards) and a running game that featured junior Wenkers Wright (79 yards, one TD).
“The running game balanced out the passing game,” Rittenhouse said. “Everyone did their part, which helps me out a lot. We balanced it out perfectly, I’d say.”
Sobkowicz helped ISU reach 40 points for the third time this season thanks to one play, a fade route in the corner of the end zone. He caught a 1-yard touchdown from Rubley – who briefly spelled an injured Rittenhouse – with 3 minutes, 19 seconds remaining in the third quarter. At the 7:08 mark of the fourth quarter, Rittenhouse connected with Sobkowicz on a 13-yard touchdown.
“Both were the same exact play, just a fade. Jake and Tommy both saw man coverage, press,” Sobkowicz said. “In that scenario, they just want to give us a chance and they both did. Both were great balls. I was able to come down with the catch and finally get one of those this year. Two of those, technically. It definitely felt good.”
The fade was not something that ISU had much success with before Saturday, according to Sobkowicz.
“It was either a drop or not the greatest ball,” he said. “We finally put it together this game, and hopefully we’ll be putting it together every game, getting better at that.”
After Rittenhouse passed for 347 yards and a touchdown, in addition to rushing for a game-high 128 yards and two scores, Illinois State coach Brock Spack said he hoped the MVFC would take notice.
“I’ve got to hope that he’s the player of the week,” Spack said with a laugh. “This was his kind of game. He can run and throw. A lot of things fell on him. Other than (the interception), he had a very good day.”
Illinois State has a bye this week before hosting Youngstown State Nov. 2 in Normal.
“We’re going to have to get our bodies right and keep fixing those little things. They’re bringing us down a little bit sometimes,” Sobkowicz said. “Once we get those figure out, we’ll be on a roll. Like our offensive coordinator (Tony Peterson) says, penalties, turnovers and mental errors are the big three. If you’re having those in a game, it’s hard to win.”
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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