ISU FB looks to advance to FCS Football Championship versus Villanova

Image courtesy of Illinois State football

NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State football travels to Villanova Stadium to battle No. 12 Villanova at noon on Saturday for a spot in the Football Championship Subdivision National Championship Game.

The Redbirds have not been in the semi-finals since 2014, when they beat the University of New Hampshire and advanced to the national title game but lost to North Dakota State University. This is only the third time in ISU history that they have made a semi-final appearance. 

The Redbirds and the Wildcats have only faced each other one time prior to the upcoming matchup. ISU defeated Villanova 19-17 on Sept. 25, 1976.

ISU is on a playoff run that has shocked the world. They are the only unranked team remaining in the bracket and a win on Saturday would make them the first unseeded team to make it to the national championship game since Youngstown State in 2016. They blew past Southeastern Louisiana State University 21-3 in the first round and had what some call the “FCS Win of the Year” in the second round against NDSU. The Redbirds defeated the No.1 team in the nation 29-27 and took that momentum into the quarter-final game against the University of California, Davis.

Tommy Rittenhouse was coming off a five-interception game against the Bison and knew changes needed to be made to advance to the semi-finals. The senior threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns against UC-Davis, his highest yardage game since the Nov. 15 win over South Dakota State University.

When it comes down to it, Rittenhouse will always look to connect with Second-Team All-American Daniel Sobkowicz. The senior leads ISU in all-time receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Sobkowicz had 150 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions against UC-Davis, but he is not the only receiver putting up numbers for the Redbirds.

Luke Mailander and Dylan Lord have stepped up significantly throughout the season. Lord secured a touchdown in the win over UC-Davis to earn his third of the season. The redshirt freshman suffered a knee injury during his first year as a Redbird and has bounced back to help the Redbirds soar through the playoffs. Mailander has worked alongside Sobkowicz all season. He has 647 yards on the season but has not found the end zone since the Oct. 18 matchup against Youngstown State. The redshirt freshman will need to be a key component for the ISU offense in order to pull off another upset victory.

The ISU run game has been on fire during the playoff campaign. Victor Dawson rushed for 148 yards against the Aggies, his highest rushing yard game of the season. Seth Glatz had 85 yards and two touchdowns for the Redbirds in their quarter-final game, his best performance of the year.

The Villanova defensive line will need to put on their best performance in order to put a stop to Dawson and Glatz. Despite the work that will need to be done, the Wildcats have had a cinderella story of their own.

Villanova is the second team in FCS history to host a semi-final game after being on the road the two previous games.

This is the third year in-a-row that the Wildcats have made a playoff appearance and their first semi-final since the 2009-10 season when they won the FCS title. Villanova started off their playoff run in dominant fashion, beating Harvard 52-7 at home. They were on the road for their next two games but faced the challenge head-on. The Wildcats defeated No. 5 Lehigh 14-7 in the second round and conquered No. 4 Tarleton State 26-21 in the quarterfinals. Villanova has a 23 home-game win streak, the longest in the FCS.

The Wildcat offense is led by Pat McQuaide. The quarterback ranks 15th in the FCS in total passing yards with 2,937 on 371 attempts. The graduate student had one touchdown against Tarleton State and the backup QB, Braden Reed, had one of his own for the Wildcats.

The Villanova rush game is 23rd in rushing yards in the FCS and are led by the duo of Ja’Briel Mace and Isaiah Ragland. Mace was named the Coastal Athletic Association Special Teams Player of the Year and a FCS First-Team All-American, both as a kick returner. The sophomore has 887 yards on the season as a running back and Ragland follows behind with 721.

Mace picked up a touchdown in the wins against Lehigh and Tarleton State. The quarterback and running backs are protected by their offensive line, which First-Team All-American, Temi Ajirotutu, leads.

On the receiving end, Luke Colella leads the team with 1,013 yards on the season, the 14th most in the FCS, and eight receiving touchdowns. The second closest Wildcat behind him is Lucas Kopecky with 507 yards and four touchdowns. Kopecky secured a touchdown in the win over Tarleton and will need to turn up the gears against ISU’s defense.

The Redbirds have two All-Americans on the defensive side in Shadwell Nkuba II and Tye Niekamp. Nkuba, the senior defensive back, has 75 total tackles on the season and five interceptions. The all-star linebacker Niekamp leads the team with 150 total tackles, including 76 solo tackles. Niekamp is described as the quarterback of the defense and has led the Redbirds to allowing just 20 points per game in the playoffs.

The Saturday matchup is going to be a battle. Both offenses are going to have put on the game of their lives and defense is going to need to keep the pressure high. ISU and Villanova have put on playoff performances that will be talked about for years to come but only one can move on to the National Championship. Which miracle run will continue? We’ll just have to wait and see.

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