Illinois State football just authored one of the wildest postseason upsets in recent FCS history, stunning defending national champion and No. 1 seed North Dakota State 29–28 in Fargo to advance to the FCS quarterfinals.
A Fourth-Quarter Script No One Saw Coming
Heading into the game,
Illinois State was unranked and a heavy underdog, facing a North Dakota State team that was 12–0, the top overall seed, and the defending FCS national champion. The Redbirds had already played a grueling schedule but finished the regular season 10–4 overall and 5–3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference before earning their playoff bid.
On Saturday in the Fargodome, it looked like the script was going exactly as expected – until it didn’t.
North Dakota State led by
14 points in the fourth quarter, and Illinois State quarterback
Tommy Rittenhouse was having a nightmare game, throwing
five interceptions against the Bison defense. Yet with the season on the line, Rittenhouse and the Redbirds refused to fold.
Two Touchdowns in Two Minutes
With under two minutes to play, Illinois State still trailed by double digits. Then everything flipped.
- Rittenhouse hit
Daniel Sobkowicz for a touchdown with 1:00 left to pull the Redbirds within one score, capping a furious late drive.
- Illinois State successfully recovered an onside kick, keeping the ball and their season alive.
- Just 26 seconds later, Rittenhouse again found Sobkowicz for another touchdown inside the final two minutes, cutting the deficit to 28–27 and setting up a do-or-die decision.
That second connection was the payoff to a wild sequence in which a quarterback who had thrown five picks suddenly became the hero, repeatedly attacking a defense that had dominated most of the afternoon.
The Gutsy Two-Point Call That Changed Everything
Instead of kicking the extra point and playing for overtime on the road,
head coach Brock Spack made the call that will be talked about in Normal, Illinois, for years: he went for two and the win.
On the conversion, Rittenhouse rolled out and found
Scotty Presson Jr. for the two-point completion, giving Illinois State a
29–28 lead with exactly one minute remaining. That single decision flipped the entire playoff bracket: the 21+ point underdog was suddenly on top, and the Fargodome was stunned.
North Dakota State had one more chance, but the Redbird defense held on and sealed a victory that:
- Eliminated the
top seed and undefeated defending champion- Came
on the road in one of the toughest environments in FCS football
- Happened despite Illinois State’s quarterback throwing
five interceptions and the team being given almost no chance by oddsmakers
Inside the Redbirds’ Breakout Season
This upset isn’t happening in a vacuum. It’s the exclamation point on a
resurgent year for Illinois State.
According to the program’s official records, the Redbirds have put together a
10–4 season so far, with a 7–1 mark away from home — a profile that quietly signaled they were far more battle-tested on the road than many realized. Their 2025 slate included:
- A season-opening trip to
No. 18 Oklahoma (FBS), a 35–3 loss that still gave them high-level experience.
- A string of key wins, including road victories at
No. 21 South Dakota and
No. 15 South Dakota State, two nationally respected FCS programs.
- A 21–3 first-round playoff win at
No. 16 Southeastern Louisiana, proving they could control a postseason game away from home before the trip to Fargo.
Those road wins set the stage for what happened against North Dakota State: this is a team that has grown comfortable in hostile environments.
Academic Standouts Behind the Helmet
Even as Illinois State makes noise on the field, the program has also been recognized for work in the classroom.
Just days before the NDSU upset, a
Redbird trio earned Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic honors, underscoring the balance between athletic and academic performance in the program. The school highlighted those honors alongside preparations for the playoff run, framing this postseason push as part of a broader culture of accountability and discipline.
Fans Are All In — Even From Afar
Back in Normal and surrounding communities, Illinois State leaned into the moment by organizing official
playoff watch parties at Barrel House and 93 Octane, giving fans a communal way to experience the game in Fargo. Those gatherings now feel almost cinematic in hindsight: fans watched their team erase a 14-point deficit, recover an onside kick, and convert a two-point play to knock off the top seed.
What’s Next: A Quarterfinal Rematch Out West
The win over North Dakota State was not the destination — it was the ticket to the next stage.
Illinois State now
heads back to Davis, California, for a quarterfinal showdown with
No. 8 seed UC Davis in the FCS playoffs. The matchup carries some built-in drama:
- The two teams
met last year in the second round of the FCS playoffs, giving this game a rematch feel with plenty of recent history.
- Illinois State once again hits the road, where they have been at their best all year (7–1 in away games).
If the Redbirds can bottle even a fraction of the composure and late-game fearlessness they showed in Fargo, UC Davis will have its hands full.
Why This Upset Matters Beyond One Game
Illinois State’s shock win over North Dakota State is bigger than just one bracket-busting result. It signals a few important shifts:
-
Power dynamics in FCS: North Dakota State has been the gold standard in FCS football for more than a decade. Any time an unranked opponent walks into the Fargodome and knocks them out, it reshapes how the rest of the field sees the path to a title.
-
Illinois State’s rising profile: With double-digit wins, ranked road victories, and now a takedown of the No. 1 seed, the Redbirds are building a national reputation as a dangerous postseason team.
-
Coaching identity: Brock Spack’s decision to go for two — and the trust he showed in a quarterback who had already thrown five interceptions — will define how this era of Illinois State football is remembered. It signals a program willing to be
aggressive, resilient, and unapologetically bold in big moments.
For fans and casual observers alike, Illinois State suddenly becomes one of the most intriguing stories left in the FCS playoffs: a road warrior, a fearless coach, a turnover-plagued quarterback turned hero, and a team that refuses to acknowledge when it’s “supposed” to lose.
If their quarterfinal at UC Davis is anything like what we just saw in Fargo, you might want to clear your schedule.
Sources
1. 2025 Football Schedule - Illinois State University Athletics
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3. Redbirds Knock Off Top-Seeded North Dakota State On The Road, 29-28
4. Illinois State Stuns No. 1 North Dakota State in FCS Playoffs With ...
5. Redbird Trio Earns MVFC All-Academic Honors
6. Redbird Football Watch Parties To Be Held at Barrel House, 93 Octane on Saturday
7. Illinois State scores 2 late TDs to knock out top-ranked North Dakota ...
