Illinois State wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz caught two touchdown passes in the Redbirds’ 42-31 victory Saturday at UC Davis. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Barry Bottino
Illinois State’s playoff run started as one of the last four teams chosen to make the FCS field.
On Saturday in Davis, Calif., the unseeded Redbirds (11-4) became one of the last four teams left standing after a 42-31 victory over No. 8 seed UC Davis (9-4) that earned them a spot in the national semifinals for the first time since 2014 and only the third time in school history.
“This is incredible,” defensive lineman Jake Anderson said. “I’m just taking it all in. We’re appreciating every moment.”
ISU will travel to Philadelphia for a 6:30 p.m. game against No. 12 seed Villanova (12-2), which beat No. 4 seed Tarleton State, 26-21, in Texas on Saturday afternoon. The Redbirds, who are on an eight-game road winning streak, are also the last one of six playoff teams left from the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
After a frantic first quarter that saw 38 points scored, ISU used its running game and timely plays in the passing game to control the clock and keep the quick-strike Aggies off the field – allowing the defense to rest — and off the scoreboard for more than 40 minutes of game time.
“Our offense did a great job controlling the pace, especially in the second half,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said. “We did a good job of running the ball when we had to.”
Illinois State won the time of possession battle, 35:45 to 24:15.
The Redbirds did so with strong offensive line play and a career-high 148 yards from running back Victor Dawson. After the first quarter, ISU put together four different drives of at least nine plays, more than 5 minutes each and over 75 yards.
As a team, ISU rushed for a season-best 266 yards, thanks to the contributions of running back Seth Glatz (85 yards, two TDs) and quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse (five carries, 30 yards).
A week after throwing five interceptions in a win at No. 1 North Dakota State, Rittenhouse finished 15-for-20 passing for 266 yards and three TDs. Two of those touchdowns went to wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz, who piled up 150 receiving yards and set school records with his 250th career reception and 15th TD catch of the season.
“Defensively, we were just running out of bodies,” UC Davis coach Tim Plough said. “Illinois State’s a great team. We just ran out of gas.”
Despite allowing 533 yards to the fast-paced Aggies’ offense, the Illinois State defense came up big in key moments with two fourth-down stops and two turnovers in the red zone.
Early in the third quarter, cornerback Shadwel Nkuba II stripped the ball from Davis receiver Zach Jones on a deep pass play and recovered the fumble at the ISU 20. Defensive back C.J. Richard intercepted Davis QB Caden Pinnick in the end zone at the 9:34 mark of the fourth quarter to end another threat with ISU leading, 35-17.
Richard said the defense leaned on a lesson from defensive coordinator Travis Niekamp in the second half.
“Coach Niekamp preaches to us that we can always turn the page and continue to fight,” Richard said. “It’s not done until they actually score.”
The first quarter took on a NASCAR-like pace, with ISU forging a 21-17 lead thanks to a 91-yard Chris Taylor kickoff return for a score and a career-long 93-yard TD catch by Sobkowicz.
Davis scored on a 23-yard run by running back Jordan Fisher and a 12-yard Pinnick pass to wide receiver Stacy Dobbins.
The first half featured nearly 600 yards of total offense combined, despite neither team scoring in the second quarter.
The Redbirds benefited from two early fourth-down stops in the red zone. One came when Davis came up a yard short on a fake field goal attempt. The second was when Fisher was stopped for a 1-yard loss on fourth down at the ISU 3.
Game changers
8:56, 3rd quarter: After a long downfield completion to Davis WR Zach Jones, Nkuba swiped the ball out of Jones’ hands and recovered the fumble.
2:06, 3rd quarter: Sobkowicz made a one-handed catch in tight coverage in the corner of the end zone to extend ISU’s lead to 35-17.
9:34, 4th quarter: Richard intercepted Pinnick in the end zone to halt a drive and give the ball back to ISU’s offense.
What it means
Illinois State advances to the national semifinals for the first time since 2014 and improves to 11-4 overall and 8-1 on the road.
Best ‘Birds
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Illinois State players in the game:
Sobkowicz, WR: The veteran wideout caught six passes – two for touchdowns – and piled up 150 receiving yards. He reached two more school records, taking over the career lead in receptions (250) and setting the single-season TD reception mark (15).
Dawson, RB: The Cincinnati transfer rushed for a career-high 148 yards on 29 rushes.
Nkuba, DB: The senior had four tackles and forced, then recovered, a key third-quarter fumble in Illinois State territory.
What’s next?
ISU travels to No. 12 seed Villanova for a 6:30 p.m. national semifinal game.
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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