Wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz scores one of his three first-half touchdowns Saturday in a 35-21 victory at South Dakota State. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Barry Bottino
Fifteen plays.
Four minutes, 31 seconds.
That’s how long it took Saturday for Illinois State to take control of its Missouri Valley Football Conference game at South Dakota State. In that time, the Redbirds scored three touchdowns, including one on defense, before eventually holding off the Jackrabbits, 35-21, in Brookings, S.D.
ISU’s 28-point first quarter marked the second week in a row in which the team had that point total in a single period.
“That first quarter felt like a dream,” said linebacker Tye Niekamp, who had a game-high 16 tackles and forced a fumble. “It was wild. I kept asking people around me, ‘Is this real? Is this actually happening right now?’”
The offense and defense both made it happen for the Redbirds (8-3 overall, 5-2 MVFC), who won their fourth game in a row and all but locked up a spot in the FCS playoffs.
The Jackrabbits (7-4, 3-4) lost their fourth consecutive game.
The offense got the ball rolling with a 10-yard TD pass from quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse to wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz less than 2 minutes into the game for a 7-0 lead. A minute later, linebacker Patrick Bauer intercepted a swing pass and returned it five yards for a TD. Sobkowicz scored on a two-yard catch and Rittenhouse ran in a two-yard score to give ISU a 28-0 lead with 6 minutes, 26 seconds left in the first quarter.
Sobkowicz’s third touchdown catch – a 9-yard grab from Rittenhouse at the 10:15 mark of the second quarter – gave ISU a 35-0 advantage and made him the school’s all-time leader with 33 TD receptions.
“It’s a cool thing, but I’ve got other goals in mind that are much more important than that,” he said of the upcoming playoffs.
While the offense roared to a remarkable start, the Illinois State defense allowed SDSU minus-4 first-quarter yards on four drives.
“To get this (win) on the road is pretty nice,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said. “We should be in the postseason now with eight wins, especially in our league.”
The Redbirds improved to 7-0 in November games the past two seasons and have won their last five road games this fall.
Rittenhouse had four total touchdowns for ISU, who gained 144 of their 275 total yards in the first half.
The defense, meanwhile, also got an interception, a sack and two tackles for loss from redshirt freshman linebacker Dexter Niekamp.
After SDSU trimmed the ISU lead to 35-21 early in the fourth quarter, Illinois State forced three straight turnovers on downs to end the game.
Bauer, a walk-on who was awarded a scholarship a week ago, according to Spack, also had two tackles for loss.
Game changers
13:05, 1st quarter: Two plays after he absorbed a vicious hit that led to SDSU linebacker Cullen McShane being ejected for targeting, Sobkowicz caught a 10-yard TD in the front corner of the end zone.
12:03, 1st quarter: Bauer intercepted an SDSU swing pass and returned it five yards for a TD and a 14-0 ISU lead.
10:15, 2nd quarter: Sobkowicz scored the record-setting touchdown on a nine-yard strike from Rittenhouse.
Best ‘Birds
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Illinois State players in Saturday’s game:
Rittenhouse, QB: The veteran quarterback threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score in the victory to increase his TD total to 29 this season.
Victor Dawson, RB: The Cincinnati transfer rushed for 98 yards, just shy of achieving his third 100-yard game in a row.
Tye Niekamp, LB: The junior All-American piled up a season-best 16 tackles, surpassing 100 for the season, and forced a fumble.
What it means
The Redbirds improved to 7-0 in November over the past two seasons and all but secured a spot in the FCS playoffs with their eighth win of the season.
What’s next
The Redbirds host rival Southern Illinois, which lost a five-overtime game Saturday at home to South Dakota, for ISU’s Senior Day Nov. 22. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
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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