The Illinois State football team upset No. 1 North Dakota State on Saturday, 29-28, advancing to the FCS playoffs quarterfinals next weekend.
The Redbirds took the late lead on a gutsy call from Coach Brock Spack to go for a two-point conversion after a late fourth-quarter touchdown. Tommy Rittenhouse had an up-and-down game, throwing 3 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in the comeback win. The Bison were the defending national champions.
The Redbirds (now 10-4) were unseeded heading into the FCS playoffs. They won convincingly last weekend in a first-round matchup against No. 16 Southeastern Louisiana. They were 23-point underdogs headed into the North Dakota State game.
The Redbirds will make a return trip to Davis, California, in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs to take on No. 8 seed UC Davis next Saturday. The Redbirds and the Aggies met last year in the second round of the playoffs. See playoff bracket.
Saturday’s game was a rematch of the 2015 FCS championship game, won by NDSU. The victory for the Redbirds snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Bison, and the Redbirds are now 2-1 against NDSU in the FCS playoffs.
