Redbirds Face Reigning National Champions in Conference Opener

Image courtesy of Illinois State Football

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State will kick off its 2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference play this weekend, inviting in 2024 national champion and No. 1 ranked North Dakota State University into Hancock Stadium for a top ten-ranked matchup. The game looks to be another rematch of the 2015 FCS Division I national championship, where the two teams faced off, the Redbirds falling short, losing to NDSU 29-27.

The Redbirds are coming off a much-needed bye week after a near-disastrous collapse to unranked North Alabama, where the two teams faced off for nearly six hours with two weather delays and a double overtime thriller that finished with the Redbirds on top, winning 38-36. The No. 6 ranked Redbirds look to add to their 3-game win streak with the Bison looking to stay undefeated after defeating seventeenth-ranked South Dakota last week 51-13. The two last faced off just over a year ago, where then No. 2 ranked NDSU beat the No. 15 Redbirds 42-10 at the Illinois State homecoming game.

NDSU, coming off its win against South Dakota, will see their quarterback, Cole Payton, look to continue his streak of dominance in the FCS, leading the dual-threat offense that averages well over 200 yards passing and 200 yards rushing per game. Payton went 14 for 18 with 273 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Barika Kpeenu also had two touchdowns off 18 rushes for 86 yards. The Bison defense has been performing unbelievably and is currently ranked number one in pass defense and second in overall scoring defense.

Tommy Rittenhouse and the Redbird passing attack have been strong, but they will face their toughest opponent this weekend. Look for key plays for receivers Daniel Sobkowicz and Luke Mailander. Running backs Wenkers Wright and Victor Dawson will also look to bolster the Redbird rushing attack behind ISU’s impressive offensive line.

For the Redbirds, this game will come down to their defense. Linebacker Tye Niekamp, who leads the team in tackles and captains the defense, will look to control North Dakota’s dual-threat offense, controlling the run at the line of scrimmage but also limiting short route passes. Cornerback Shadwel Nkuba II will also look to continue his streak of interceptions, looking for his fifth in as many games.

The Redbirds will need an impressive turnout Saturday night at Hancock Stadium, as fans have been told it will be a white out theme. ISU will look to upset one of the best teams in the country, and the Bison will look to continue their dominance of the FCS level. Saturday is sure to be a thriller with kickoff at 6 p.m. Central time and live coverage here on wznd.com, where Connor Allyn and Emmett Rainville will start their call of the action at 5:50. Kaitlyn Witas will hold things down from the studio at WZND.

For all things Redbird football, stay tuned to wznd.com.