Illinois State quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score to help the Redbirds roll to a 52-20 victory at Indiana State. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Barry Bottino
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Victor Dawson smiled widely and laughed when asked Saturday about his quarterback, Illinois State senior Tommy Rittenhouse.
On a day when Rittenhouse threw four touchdowns, ran for another and guided the Redbirds to a 52-20 Missouri Valley Football Conference win at Indiana State, there were plenty of smiles to go around.
“He’s a playmaker,” Dawson said. “He gets the job done. He does his thing.”
Rittenhouse’s “thing” Saturday was completing passes to 10 different receivers, leading the offense to a school record-tying 28 second-quarter points and completing 29 of 34 passes for 314 yards.
“It was just trusting the game plan,” said Rittenhouse, who was one of five different players to score touchdowns in the first half. “All week, it was preparing like I normally do. Then when it comes to Saturday, let loose, have fun and trust the guys around me to get open and trust the guys up front to protect me.
“They did a great job all day.”
The victory was the third in a row for the No. 16/17 Redbirds (7-3 overall, 4-2 MVFC) and put them in a tie for third place in the league standings with North Dakota (6-4, 4-2) with two weeks left in the regular season.
Indiana State, which was coming off an upset win at South Dakota State a week ago, slipped to 3-7, 1-5.
Dylan Lord (team-high eight catches and 87 yards) caught a TD pass, along with running back Seth Glatz, tight end Max Ziebarth and wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz, who saw his first action since Oct. 18 because of a right shoulder injury.
The Redbirds put up 555 total yards and scored the most points in a game since scoring 67 against Morgan State in 2015.
Sobkowicz said the offense’s potency is directly linked to Rittenhouse’s confidence and decision-making skills.
“He’s just so much more confident in everything that he’s doing,” Sobkowicz said. “It seems like he’s locked in and getting ready for the playoff push. He’s improving a whole lot.”
Head coach Brock Spack credited the connection between Rittenhouse and offensive coordinator Tony Petersen for the offense’s performance.
“I’ve known Tony a long time. He’s a no-BS guy. He coaches quarterbacks hard,” Spack said. “Tommy embraces that. He’s done a great job. I’m very proud of him.”
For the first 20 minutes, the host Sycamores went toe to toe with Illinois State. Wide receiver Rashad Rochelle slipped behind the defense for a 64-yard touchdown catch from Keegan Patterson to tie the game at 14-14 early in the second quarter.
“That was one play that really bothered me,” Spack said. “I didn’t think we tackled well early in the game, and I got after them a little bit in between series. They got right back at it.”
After Rochelle’s touchdown, Indiana State was held to a combined 27 yards over its next five drives. Those big plays, according to linebacker Tye Niekamp, are happening less frequently than in the first month of the season.
“I feel like we’ve grown so much on the defensive side of the ball with how to overcome things,” said Niekamp, who led the Redbirds with 10 tackles. “It’s really fun, being a leader of the team now, watching younger guys kind of growing up. We’re playing great defense right now.”
Niekamp also had two pass breakups and one of seven tackles for loss for the Redbirds, who also got interceptions by linebacker Patrick Bauer and defensive back Cam Wilson.
Game changers
6:57, 2nd quarter: Lord’s 3-yard reception answered an Indiana State touchdown less that 4 minutes earlier and started a run of 21 consecutive second-quarter points for the Redbirds in the second quarter.
0:22, 2nd quarter: After a smooth fake to Dawson, Rittenhouse sprinted off the right side for a 4-yard TD. The play helped ISU tie a school record with 28 second-quarter points.
7:28, 3rd quarter: Wilson’s interception gave the ball back to the Redbird offense, which got a 2-yard scoring run from Glatz at the 7:28 mark.
Best ‘Birds
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Illinois State players in Saturday’s game:
Rittenhouse, QB: He passed for four TDs, ran for another and piled up 333 total yards in a masterful game.
Sobkowicz, WR: The senior saw his first action since Oct. 18 and caught three passes for 31 yards and a TD while climbing to No. 2 on ISU’s career receiving yards list (3,031) and No. 3 in career touchdowns (30).
Dawson, RB: A career-high 116 yards and a touchdown for the senior transfer led a 250-yard rushing attack.
What it means
Illinois State earned its seventh win with two big tests to finish the regular season ahead – Nov. 15 at South Dakota State and Nov. 22 at home vs. Southern Illinois.
What’s next
The Redbirds travel Nov. 15 to South Dakota State (7-3, 3-3), which lost Saturday at South Dakota, 24-17. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
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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