Illinois State redshirt junior Tommy Rittenhouse, a Redbird recruit who arrived in Normal in 2021 from Wheaton St. Francis High School, has firmly established himself as the starting quarterback. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
A year ago, quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse and his Illinois State teammates came out on the wrong end of a 22-21 loss to North Dakota in their season finale.
That loss, which knocked the Redbirds out of playoff contention, proved to be a springboard for Rittenhouse. Despite the defeat, the Geneva native passed for a then-career-best 241 yards and a touchdown in a road environment.
Following the game, ISU head coach Brock Spack said his quarterback “played good enough to win.”
That late November contest marked Rittenhouse’s fifth career start – all of which came at the ends of the 2021 and ‘22 seasons due to injuries to Zack Annexstad, a University of Minnesota transfer.
This season, Rittenhouse has emerged from a two-QB system to establish a firm hold on the position.
“He’s improving immensely,” Spack said of his dual-threat redshirt junior quarterback.
Spack, who has been at Illinois State since 2009, is most impressed with Rittenhouse’s upgrade as a passer.
“His throwing game is really good. The touchdown down here to (Daniel) Sobkowicz . . . man, was that a good throw,” Spack said after last week’s 31-19 win at Indiana State. “I don’t think people realize how good of a throw that was. He put the ball in a spot where Dan could run with it afterward and score.”
Moreover, Spack – Purdue’s defensive coordinator during the Drew Brees era – viewed the play as an example of Rittenhouse’s continued growth.
“That’s the next phase of his maturation. Not only can you throw somebody open, but you also have to be able to put it on a guy underneath who has a chance to catch and run and get yards after catch,” Spack said.
In the past four games, Rittenhouse has completed 73 percent of his passes (93-for-127) while averaging 267.5 yards passing per game. During that stretch, he has six touchdown passes and a pair of 300-plus yard passing performances. Rittenhouse has also averaged 44 yards per game on the ground and has scored four rushing touchdowns.
From his perspective, Rittenhouse sees his success as the result of hard work, confidence and divine intervention.
“It’s a testament of God and trusting in His plan and His timing,” the Wheaton St. Francis High School graduate said. “I learned a lot throughout the years about myself and what it takes to be in this moment.
“But we’re not done. We’ve got to move on to the next one.”
That next one certainly has symmetry. Illinois State (8-3 overall, 5-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference) hosts North Dakota (5-6, 2-5) at Hancock Stadium Saturday in the Missouri Valley Football Conference finale.
Senior Day
ISU will honor 26 senior players prior to the noon kickoff.
“They’re hard workers with very little drama or issues,” Spack said. “A fun group of guys. I hate to see them go, but there’s a time for all of us.”
There is, however, a possibility that some of those being honored could return for another season of eligibility.
“We have some guys that can do that, but we’ll see where that’s at in the postseason,” Spack said.
The opponent
A month ago, the North Dakota Fighting Hawks had that playoff look about them. However, a four-game losing streak dashed those aspirations.
Three of those losses were by a combined 11 points, including an Oct. 26 one-point overtime loss at Youngstown State that began the slide.
North Dakota lost to No. 5 South Dakota, 42-36, at home last weekend. USD scored the first 25 points after intermission to build a 42-21 lead with 10 minutes to go. The Fighting Hawks clawed their way back into the game and trailed, 42-36, with 23 seconds left in the contest. However, the subsequent onside kick was ruled Coyote ball and South Dakota escaped with the victory.
Illinois State did not play South Dakota this season due to an unbalanced conference schedule.
Kickoff: noon; TV: ESPN-Plus Radio: WJBC.com
Key matchup
Illinois State defense vs. North Dakota offense
The Fighting Hawks rank fifth in the 11-team MVFC in scoring offense, averaging 33.43 points per game.
A week ago, North Dakota scored 36 points on rival South Dakota, the most the Coyote defense has allowed this season. Redshirt freshman running back Sawyer Seidl produced five plays of more than 20 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown run and a 51-yard kickoff return.
Junior quarterback Simon Romfo passed for 180 yards and three touchdowns.
Receiver Bo Belquist caught 10 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. Belquist, who is two touchdown receptions away from breaking UND’s Division I record, leads the MVFC in yards (890), touchdowns (10) and is second in receptions (62).
“He’s one of the best in the league,” Spack said.
What’s at stake
With eight wins in its pocket, Illinois State has been called a “lock” by national analyst Craig Haley when the FCS playoff bracket is announced Sunday, Nov. 24. However, a ninth victory could improve the Redbirds’ draw.
Quick hits
The FCS playoff selection show airs at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 24 on ESPNU. … Saturday’s game marks the first ever visit to Normal by North Dakota. … North Dakota holds a 3-0 lead in the series. … The two teams first met in 1979. UND won that inaugural game, 20-0. … Illinois State moved up three slots to No. 13 in this week’s American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll and three spots to No. 14 in this week’s Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll. … ISU is 66-24 under Spack at Hancock Stadium. … Sobkowicz has reached 2,149 receiving yards in his career. The junior stands in seventh place on the all-time ISU list. He needs 161 yards to reach 1,000 this season. The last Redbird to achieve that feat was Anthony Warrum in 2016. … Running back Wenkers Wright needs 83 rushing yards to reach 1,000 this season. He would be the first 1,000-yard Illinois State back since James Robinson (1,899) in 2019. Robinson also rushed for 1,290 yards in 2018.
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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