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WEEK 12 MISSOURI VALLEY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: LB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State, 6-3, 240, Jr., Normal, Ill. (Normal Community HS),...Niekamp recorded a new career-high with 16 tackles, which included nine solo stops against the Jackrabbits. Niekamp was also credited with a forced fumble and a pass breakup in the contest, as the Redbird defense forced three turnovers and tallied five sacks and 10 TFLs against SDSU. The 16 tackles tops his previous high of 14 set twice earlier this season, and Niekamp now has six double-digit tackling efforts on the year with four contests with 13 or more to give him 110 on the year. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#29 ILB) rJr/2027

ILB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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11/19/25 - Matt Maldonado, Sr/2026, Illinois State, 6-2, 200 (DS#999 K) + More +

WEEK 11 MISSOURI VALLEY CO-SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: PK Matt Maldonado, Illinois State, 6-2, 200, Sr., Montgomery, Ill.,...Maldonado was solid once again for the Redbirds in their 52-20 road win at Indiana State. The transfer from Murray State scored 10 total points for the Redbirds and booted a 49-yard field goal in the victory over the Sycamores. Maldonado was a perfect 7-for-7 on PAT attempts and scored the final points of the game with 1:01 left in the third quarter on a 49-yard field goal. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#999 K) Sr/2026

K Matt Maldonado, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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11/19/25 - Victor Dawson, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 5-11, 220 (DS#999 RB) + More +

WEEK 11 MISSOURI VALLEY NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK: RB Victor Dawson, Illinois State, 5-11, 220, Sr., Akron, Ohio,...Dawson went over the 100-yard mark for the second-straight week to help the Redbirds run away with a 52-20 road win against Indiana State. The transfer from Cincinnati carried the ball a season-high 21 times for a season-best 116 yards and he added a touchdown in the victory over the Sycamores. Dawson averaged 5.5 yards per carry and scored his third touchdown of the year on a 6-yard run early in the second quarter that gave the Redbirds a 14-7 lead at the time. With his 116 yards on the ground, Dawson took over the team lead with 616 rushing yards on the season. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#999 RB) rSr/2026

RB Victor Dawson, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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11/19/25 - Landon Woodard, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 6-4, 330 (DS#999 OG) + More +

WEEK 10 MISSOURI VALLEY OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: OG Landon Woodard, Illinois State, Sr., Waukesha, Wis.,...Woodard and the Redbird offensive line were a big part of the Redbirds success in a 31-16 win over UNI. The senior from Waukesha, Wisconsin graded out at 90 percent and helped lead the way for Victor Dawson, who rushed for 101 yards on the ground. As a team, the Redbird offense racked up 430 yards of total offense in a balanced effort, that featured 202 yards rushing (5.8 yards per carry) and 228 yards passing. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#999 OG) rSr/2026

OG Landon Woodard, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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11/19/25 - Tye Niekamp, rJr/2027, Illinois State, 6-2, 240 (DS#29 ILB) + More +

WEEK 9 MISSOURI VALLEY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: LB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State, 6-3, 240, Jr., Normal, Illinois (Normal Community HS),...Another game and it was another stellar performance at middle linebacker for Tye Niekamp in Illinois State's road win at South Dakota. Niekamp tied his career and season high with a game-best 14 tackles against the Coyotes, which included a career-high 11 solo stops. The junior from Normal, Illinois, was also credited with a TFL, as the Redbirds held the No. 21 ranked Coyotes to just 13 points at home. It marked Niekamp's fourth double-digit tackling effort of the season and third game with 13 plus. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#29 ILB) rJr/2027

ILB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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11/15/25 - Tommy Rittenhouse, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 5-11, 195 (DS#999 QB) + More +

Tommy Rittenhouse threw three touchdown passes to Daniel Sobkowicz and ran for another as Illinois State scored 28 points in the first quarter and went on to a 35-21 win over South Dakota State on Saturday. Rittenhouse threw 10- and 2-yard touchdown passes to Sobkowicz sandwiched around a 5-yard pick-6 by Patrick Bauer and Rittenhouse added a 2-yard TD run to cap the big first quarter. Rittenhouse and Sobkowicz connected for a 9-yard score and it was 35-0 before the Jackrabbits (7-4, 3-4 Missouri Valley Football Conference) scored twice in the final five minutes of the first half to trail 35-13.

Josiah Johnson's 2-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter got South Dakota State within 14 points but the Jackrabbits' final three drives ended on downs. Sobkowicz's three TD catches gave him a school-record 33 for his career, passing Tyrone Walker (32, 2009-12). Rittenhouse was 17 of 32 for 141 yards passing. Victor Dawson had 98 yards rushing on 20 carries. The Redbirds were outgained 321-263 but the Jackrabbits had three turnovers, all in the first half. SDSU's Jack Henry was 32-of-51 passing for 254 yards with a touchdown, but threw two interceptions. The Redbirds, ranked 13th in the FCS coaches' poll, ran their win streak to four games while the No. 15 Jackrabbits dropped their fourth in a row. - AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2026

QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State
News Source: AP College Football
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11/08/25 - Tommy Rittenhouse, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 5-11, 195 (DS#999 QB) + More +

Tommy Rittenhouse accounted for 5 touchdowns as Illinois State beat Indiana State 52-20 on Saturday. Rittenhouse completed 29 of his 34 passes for 314 yards and four touchdowns and added a rushing score as Illinois State rattled off 555 total yards of offense. The Redbirds (6-3, 3-2 Missouri Valley) paired Rittenhouse's efficiency with 241 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Victor Dawson ran 21 times for 116 yards and a score, and Seth Glatz added 55 yards on 12 carries with a 2-yard touchdown and a 20-yard receiving score.

Dylan Lord paced the receivers with eight catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. Max Ziebarth and Daniel Sobkowicz also caught scoring passes. Illinois State's defense produced two interceptions, one each from Cam Wilson and Eddie Kasper. The Redbirds scored 28 points in the second quarter and 17 in the third to create separation and close out the win. The Sycamores (3-6, 1-4) were led by quarterback Keegan Patterson, who went 16 of 26 for 202 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Rashad Rochelle caught six passes for 103 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown, and Talan White-Hatch added a 25-yard scoring grab. Deion Brown rushed for 39 yards and a 33-yard touchdown, and Indiana State totaled 68 yards on the ground. - AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2026

QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State
News Source: AP College Football
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11/01/25 - Tommy Rittenhouse, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 5-11, 195 (DS#999 QB) + More +

Tommy Rittenhouse had a touchdown pass and a touchdown run to guide Illinois State to a 31-16 victory over Northern Iowa on Saturday. Rittenhouse scored on a 4-yard run and Seth Glatz ran it in from 2-yards out - both in the final five minutes of the first quarter as the Redbirds (6-3, 3-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference) grabbed a 14-0 lead and never looked back. Rittenhouse connected with Javon Charles for a 19-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead in the second quarter. Max Bartachek kicked a 28-yard field goal with 24 seconds left to get Northern Iowa (2-7, 0-5) on the scoreboard before halftime.

Harrison Bey-Buie had a 2-yard touchdown run for the Panthers, but Victor Dawson answered with a 9-yard scoring run and Illinois State led 28-10 after three. JC Roque Jr. fired a 41-yard scoring strike to Jaxon Dailey 13 seconds into the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 12. Matt Maldonado's 32-yard field goal capped the scoring with 1:53 left to play. Rittenhouse completed 28 of 37 passes for 228 yards. Dawson carried 17 times for 101 yards. Dailey totaled 142 yards on 15-for-23 passing with two interceptions for Northern Iowa. - AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2026

QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State
News Source: AP College Football
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10/25/25 - Tommy Rittenhouse, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 5-11, 195 (DS#999 QB) + More +

Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse accounted for three total touchdowns - two passing and one running - and No. 18 FCS Illinois State beat South Dakota 21-13 on Saturday. Will Leyland's 37-yard field goal with 8:47 left in the first quarter gave South Dakota a 3-0 lead. Rittenhouse led a 12-play, 79-yard drive that ended with his 11-yard scoring pass to Scotty Presson Jr. early in the second quarter. Aidan Bouman gave the Coyotes their last lead of the game on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jesse Miller to cap a 14-play, 80-yard drive. Then, 30 seconds before halftime, Illinois State (5-3, 2-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference) took the lead for good when Rittenhouse ran it in from the 6 to end a 12-play, 75-yard drive that gave Illinois State a 14-10 advantage.

The lone touchdown in the second half came late in the third when Rittenhouse threw a 2-yard score to Presson for a 21-10 lead. Bouman threw for 173 yards and L.J. Phillips Jr. ran for 129 yards on 26 carries for the 21st-ranked Coyotes (5-3, 2-2). Illinois State holds a 9-2 advantage in the series that dates back to 2011. ISU is 4-1 overall in Vermillion inside the Dakota Dome, with the lone defeat coming in 2016 by a score of 27-24. - AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2026

QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State
News Source: AP College Football
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10/14/25 - Jake Pope, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 6-6, 300 (DS#37 OT) + More +

WEEK 7 MISSOURI VALLEY OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: RT Jake Pope, Illinois State, 6-7, 300, Sr., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.,...The Redbird offense did everything it wanted to on Saturday night at Murray State, as the Redbirds scored a season-high 46 points and 510 yards of total offense. That performance was thanks to a strong showing on the offensive line, led by senior right tackle Jake Pope who graded out at 91 percent for the Redbirds in their 46-32 win over the Racers. Pope helped the Redbirds rushed for 172 yards on the ground and aided quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse in throwing a career-high four touchdowns in the victory. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#37 OT) rSr/2026

OT Jake Pope, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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10/11/25 - Tommy Rittenhouse, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 5-11, 195 (DS#999 QB) + More +

Tommy Rittenhouse was 21-of-25 passing for 338 yards and four touchdowns to help Illinois State beat Murray State 46-32 on Saturday night and extend the longest active losing streak in Division I football. Murray State (0-6, 0-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference) has lost 15 in a row, dating to last season. Illinois State (4-2, 1-1), ranked No. 10 in the FCS coaches poll, forced the Racers to go three-and-out on the game's opening possession and the Redbirds scored touchdowns on their first four drives. Wenkers Wright returned a kickoff 80 yards and on the next play Victor Dawson ran for a 12-yard touchdown before Rittenhouse hit Seth Glatz down the left sideline for a 52-yard touchdown to make it 28-3 with 12:06 left in the second quarter.

Matt Maldonado kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired in the first half and the Redbirds opened the third quarter with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that culminated when Rittenhouse threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Javon Charles that made it 37-17 just over three minutes into the second half. Daniel Sobkowicz had eight receptions for 162 yards and a TD and ran for a 2-yard touchdown that opened the scoring. Jim Ogle was 23-of-39 for 283 yards with a touchdown and an interception and added scoring runs of 1 and 4 yards for the Racers. Jawaun Northington added 71 yards rushing and a 5-yard TD reception. - AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2026

QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State
News Source: AP College Football
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09/23/25 - Shadwel Nkuba II, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 6-0, 190 (DS#47 CB) + More +

WEEK 4 MISSOURI VALLEY NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK: DB Shadwel Nkuba II, Illinois State, Jr., Lewisville, Texas/Lewisville High/Louisiana,...Nkuba II had his best day as a Redbird in the team's 38-36 double overtime win over North Alabama. The Louisiana transfer posted a career-best 10 tackles, including five solo stops, and was credited with a sack, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and an interception. Nkuba II has now recorded one interception in each of the team's first four games to tie the team lead from 2024 set by Tye Niekamp. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#47 CB) rSr/2026

CB Shadwel Nkuba II, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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09/20/25 - Tommy Rittenhouse, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 5-11, 195 (DS#999 QB) + More +

Tommy Rittenhouse threw a touchdown pass and 2-point conversion to Daniel Sobkowicz in the second overtime, Cam Wilson intercepted a pass to end the game, and Illinois State escaped with a wild 38-36 win over North Alabama on Saturday in a game that had two hour-long weather delays. Ari Patu matched Rittenhouse by throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Justin Pegues on fourth-and-3 but had his successful 2-point pass to KJ Fields negated by a chop block, setting up Wilson's clinching interception in the end zone. Ian Vachon had a 42-yard field goal and Matt Maldonado answered from 38 in the first overtime, overshadowing their misses in the final minute of regulation.

Illinois State (3-1), ranked fourth in the FCS coaches poll, never trailed and was up 27-21 on Maldonado's career-best 51-yard field goal with 2:36 left in regulation. North Alabama marched 75 yards and tied the game on a 25-yard pass from Patu to Fields with 33 seconds remaining, but Vachon hit the left upright on the PAT attempt. Rittenhouse had a 27-yard completion and 16-yard run, setting up a 39-yard field goal attempt for Maldonado with 11 seconds left but Kaleb Brown blocked the kick. Rittenhouse threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 85 yards on nine carries. Sobkowica had 10 catches for 150 yards and two scores. Patu had 243 yards and four touchdown passes with Pegues catching 10 for 91 yards and two scores. Illinois State led 17-0 nothing before the first delay late in the second quarter. The second delay came after a North Alabama TD that made it 24-21 with 5:32 to play. - AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2026

QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State
News Source: AP College Football
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09/17/25 - Tye Niekamp, rJr/2027, Illinois State, 6-2, 240 (DS#29 ILB) + More +

WEEK 3 MISSOURI VALLEY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: LB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State, 6-3, 240, Jr., Normal, Ill.,...Niekamp had a career day in Illinois State's 42-30 win over in-state rival Eastern Illinois in the 113th Mid-America Classic. He recorded a career-high 14 tackles, including 10 solo stops, and was credited with two tackles-for-loss and a quarterback hurry in the victory over the Panthers. The Redbird defense was busy on the day, forcing two turnovers, recording two sacks and seven tackles-for-loss while holding EIU to just 35 yards rushing in the contest. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#29 ILB) rJr/2027

ILB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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09/17/25 - Matt Maldonado, Sr/2026, Illinois State, 6-2, 200 (DS#999 K) + More +

WEEK 2 MISSOURI VALLEY SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: PK Matt Maldonado, Illinois State, Sr., Montgomery, Ill.,...Maldonado connected on both of his field goal attempts and was a perfect 5-for-5 on extra point attempts on Saturday night in the Redbirds' 41-13 win over Morehead State. The senior transfer from Murray State connected on a 27-yard field goal late in the first quarter to cut the MSU lead at the time to 6-3, and later in the third quarter he drilled a career-best 45-yarder to put the Redbirds up by two scores at the time. In total, he scored 11 of the team's 41 points and is now a perfect 3-for-3 on the season in field goal attempts. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#999 K) Sr/2026

K Matt Maldonado, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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