Illinois State running back Victor Dawson rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown to help the Redbirds claim a 30-14 victory in Saturday night’s national semifinal. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Barry Bottino
You can call them the Road-birds.
Unseeded Illinois State became the first team in FCS playoff history to win four consecutive road games, capped off Saturday night with a 30-14 national semifinal win at No. 12 seed Villanova. The road success will now take the ‘Birds to Nashville for the national championship game on Jan. 5.
ISU (12-4) returns to the title game – where it will face No. 2 seed Montana State (13-2), a 48-23 winner Saturday against third-seeded Montana – for the second time in school history.
Illinois State’s playoff road took them more than 4,300 yards from Louisiana to North Dakota to California then Pennsylvania, where the Redbirds ended Villanova’s national-best 23-game home winning streak. ISU also won its ninth consecutive road game.
“It feels fantastic. I’m with the best group of guys around,” ISU quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse said. “I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. I love these boys. They’re my brothers.”
Illinois State’s offense compiled 452 yards and 26 first downs while possessing the football for more than 39 minutes.
Rittenhouse’s touchdown passes of 53 and 8 yards to top receiver Daniel Sobkowicz helped forge a 21-6 halftime lead. Running back Victor Dawson scored on a 1-yard run in the first half and posted a career-high 155 yards on 34 carries. The effort marked Dawson’s third consecutive game with a career high in rushing.
The offense helped ISU knock off a seeded team for the fourth week in a row – No. 16 Southeastern Louisiana, No. 1 North Dakota State, No. 8 UC Davis and No. 12 Villanova.
“We were one of the last four in,” Dawson said of the playoff field. “To be one of the final two left is a testament to our toughness and everything we’ve worked for.”
Illinois State’s defense did its fair share of impressive work too.
Villanova finished 1-for-10 on third downs as quarterback Pat McQauide was 13-for-30 passing for 199 yards and an interception. The Wildcats’ run game managed only 101 yards, led by 59 from speedy tailback Ja’briel Mace.
“Our defense is getting better and better as we go through the season,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said. “In order to win on third down, you’ve got to be good on first down. We did a pretty good job of getting them in third and long.”
Newly inserted placekicker Michael Cosentino was 3-for-3 on field goals and made all three PATs. They were the first points of Cosentino’s career.
Game changers
6:34, 1st quarter: Redshirt freshman defensive back C.J. Richard picked off a Villanova pass in the end zone to halt a scoring threat.
8:43, 2nd quarter: Dawson plunged in for a 1-yard score to give Illinois State a 14-3 lead.
3:49, 2nd quarter: Sobkowicz caught his second TD of the game – No. 40 for his ISU career – to build a 21-6 halftime lead.
What it means
The Redbirds are returning to the FCS national championship game for the second time in school history. The previous appearance came in 2014.
Best ‘Birds
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Illinois State players in the game:
Dawson, RB: The Redbirds’ lead back rushed for a career high for a third consecutive week, piling up 155 yards on 34 carries.
Sobkowicz, WR: The record-setting ISU receiver caught two touchdowns among his seven receptions for 97 yards.
C.J. Richard, DB: For the second week in a row, the redshirt freshman grabbed an interception in an ISU playoff win.
What’s next?
The Redbirds now have a Jan. 5 date on national television with No. 2 seed Montana State in Nashville with a national championship on the line.
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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