Montana State head coach Brent Vigen broke away from Monday’s national championship celebration to seek out Illinois State quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse. (Photo by Big Sky Conference)
By Barry Bottino
NASHVILLE — In a crowd of jubilant Montana State players at midfield, Brent Vigen turned away and jogged 20 yards to the Illinois State sideline Monday night.
Moments after winning the national championship, he stopped to recognize record-setting Redbird senior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse.
“I caught a glimpse of him,” Vigen said. “We’ve been on that side of the coin (losing a national title game). You just appreciate the type of competitor that he is, and he was tonight.
“You appreciate guys who compete and do everything they can for their team. I caught him and I wanted to tell him that.”
In a remarkable playoff run during which the Redbirds beat four seeded teams on the road, including No. 1 North Dakota State, Rittenhouse showed off his trademark tenacity and grit against No. 2 seed MSU in the Bobcats’ 35-34 overtime win.
“That was not a flash,” Vigen said. “That’s what we’ve seen on film”
Rittenhouse helped bring ISU back three times from 14-point deficits, completing 72% of his passes (33-for-46) for 311 yards, his second-highest total of the season. He also threw four touchdowns, raising his season record to 40.
Illinois State head coach Brock Spack credited Rittenhouse, who set the school’s single-season passing yardage record Monday with 3,568, for “his accuracy and his ability to find receivers in the second half.”
As the Redbirds rallied in the third and fourth quarters, Rittenhouse was 18-for-25 passing for 182 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with nine different receivers in the national championship game.
“I really wanted this one,” an emotional Rittenhouse said after what was his final college game. “(This season) was special. I don’t know what’s after football for me. I feel blessed and I feel grateful for this team and the run we had. I wouldn’t trade my experience for the world.
“That was a classic football game. I had a blast, no matter win or lose,” he said.
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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