The Illinois State football team is one win away from a shot at a national title.
The Redbirds defeated UC Davis, 42-31, on Saturday in the FCS playoff quarterfinals. They were led by quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse’s 3 TDs — including two to star receiver Daniel Sobkowicz — plus Victor Dawson’s 148 yards on the ground. UC Davis knocked the Redbirds out of the playoffs last year.
Next up, ISU travels to Villanova, near Philadelphia, for a semifinal matchup at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
The winner of that would advance to the FCS national championship, to be played Jan. 5 at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville. They’d face either Montana or Montana State.
The unseeded Redbirds last reached the FCS championship game in 2015, when they lost to North Dakota State. ISU got some revenge last weekend in an upset of the defending champion Bison. The Redbirds were 23-point underdogs in that game.
