Overview
- Trailing 28-14 in the fourth quarter, Illinois State scored 15 points in the final minutes, capped by Tommy Rittenhouse’s 6-yard touchdown to Daniel Sobkowicz on fourth-and-goal with 51 seconds left and a two-point pass to Scotty Presson Jr.
- Defensive lineman Jake Anderson set up the go-ahead score by strip-sacking Cole Payton and recovering the fumble at the North Dakota State 23 with 1:51 remaining.
- Despite five interceptions, Rittenhouse went 35-of-52 for 249 yards and three touchdowns, all to Sobkowicz, while NDSU quarterbacks combined to complete 6 of 19 passes for 120 yards.
- The loss was North Dakota State’s first home playoff defeat since 2016 and came with the Bison entering as roughly a 23.5-point favorite.
- Illinois State moves on to face the UC Davis–Rhode Island winner in the quarterfinals, with the game available via ESPN+ (ESPN Select).