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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#46 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#46 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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09/16/25 - Jake Pope, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 6-6, 300 (DS#51 OT) + More +

WEEK 2 MISSOURI VALLEY OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: OT Jake Pope, Illinois State, Sr., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.,...Pope had one of his best games as a Redbird in his seventh season of collegiate football on Saturday against Morehead State. The Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, native graded out at 92 percent on the night and was credited with 11 pancake blocks in the win for the Redbirds. The Redbird offensive line was stellar all night, allowing the Birds to rush for 223 yards on the ground while not allowing a sack to the Eagles in the victory. ISU averaged 5.9 yards per carry in the contest and had a pair of backs with over 80 rushing yards in Victor Dawson and Wenkers Wright. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#51 OT) rSr/2026

OT Jake Pope, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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09/13/25 - Wenkers Wright, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 6-1, 205 (DS#70 RB) + More +

Luke Mailander hauled in five catches for 109 yards and a touchdown, Wenkers Wright scored three on the ground with 94 rushing yards, and Illinois State defeated Eastern Illinois 42-30 on Saturday afternoon. Illinois State (2-1) opened on a 14-0 run and never trailed as they captured the Mid-America Classic Trophy in the 112th edition of the in-state rivalry game. They are 61-43-9 all-time in the series played since 1901. Senior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with Mailander on a 46-yard score that put Illinois State up 20-10 to end the second quarter.

Tye Niekamp had 14 total tackles, with two for a loss. Jack Dwyer and Shadwel Nkuba II each had interceptions. The fourth quarter featured five combined touchdowns, with freshman Connor Wolf throwing three of his four touchdown passes in the frame, but Eastern Illinois (1-2) could not complete the comeback. Wolf completed 28 of his 44 passes for 411 yards for the Panthers in his first career start. CJ Nelson reeled in two long touchdowns of 51 and 75 yards as the longest plays of the day. - AP College Football

(DS#70 RB) rSr/2026

RB Wenkers Wright, Illinois State
News Source: AP College Football
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09/06/25 - Tommy Rittenhouse, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 5-11, 195 (DS#999 QB) + More +

Tommy Rittenhouse threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another as Illinois State coasted past Morehead State, 41-13 on Saturday. Victor Dawson (10 carries, 88 yards) and Wenkers Wright (15 carries, 86 yards) carried the bulk of the offensive load for the Redbirds (1-1), and Daniel Sobkowicz and Luke Mailander each hauled in long touchdown grabs.

After Morehead State got on the board first, Illinois State had three straight scoring drives to make it 17-6 at the half. In the third quarter, they ended two straight drives with turnovers, scoring 10 points in three minutes of game time. Cam Wilson recorded three tackles, one sack, and a fumble recovery touchdown late in the fourth quarter to seal the win for Illinois State. For the Eagles (1-1), Carter Cravens completed 14 of his 28 throws for 134 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Isaac Stopke managed 86 yards on 13 rushing attempts. - AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2026

QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State
News Source: AP College Football
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11/27/23 - Amir Abdullah, rSr/2025, Illinois State, 6-1, 215 (DS#62 OLB) + More +

2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM: LB Amir Abdullah, Illinois State, Jr.,...Rounding out the first-team selections for the Redbirds was another newcomer in Abdullah, who transferred to ISU from Nebraska-Kearney prior to the season. The Chicago product finished in a tie for second in the 2023 MVFC Defensive Player of the Year voting, tied for the league lead with 9.5 sacks and led the MVFC with 14.0 tackles-for-loss. A finalist for the 2023 Buck Buchanan Award, he ranked fourth on the team with 64 total tackles (34 solo) and was also credited with two forced fumbles, a pass breakup and one interception on the year. - Illinois State Football

(DS#62 OLB) rSr/2025

OLB Amir Abdullah, Illinois State
News Source: Illinois State Football
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11/27/23 - Keondre Jackson, rSr/2025, Illinois State, 6-2, 207 (DS#27 SS) + More +

2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL HONORABLE MENTION: DB Keondre Jackson,...Rounding out the honorable mention selections was Jackson, who led the team with 76 tackles (36 solo) and recorded 3.0 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and one interception on the year. The ISU defensive captain posted a career day at Western Illinois, with 10 tackles, 2.0 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss in a win over the Leathernecks. - Illinois State Football

(DS#27 SS) rSr/2025

SS Keondre Jackson, Illinois State
News Source: Illinois State Football
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11/27/23 - Josh Dinga, rSr/2024, Illinois State, 6-5, 265 (DS#999 DE) + More +

2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM: DL Josh Dinga, Illinois State, R-Sr.,...Senior Josh Dinga capped off his six-year career at ISU with All-MVFC Second-Team plaudits as well, as he ranked second on the team with a career-best 7.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss to go along with 34 total tackles. - Illinois State Football

(DS#999 DE) rSr/2024

DE Josh Dinga, Illinois State
News Source: Illinois State Football
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11/27/23 - Daniel Sobkowicz, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 6-2, 205 (DS#76 WR) + More +

2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM: WR Daniel Sobkowicz, Illinois State, So.,...Sobkowicz solidified himself as a No. 1 receiver and one of the best in the league as he picked up All-MVFC Second-Team honors. He recorded a team-high 68 catches for 933 yards and led the league with 10 touchdown receptions while ranking third in yards and yards per game (84.8). - Illinois State Football

(DS#76 WR) rSr/2026

WR Daniel Sobkowicz, Illinois State
News Source: Illinois State Football
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11/27/23 - Tye Niekamp, rJr/2027, Illinois State, 6-2, 240 (DS#46 ILB) + More +

2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL HONORABLE MENTION: LB Tye Niekamp,...A finalist for the 2023 Jerry Rice Award, Niekamp earned All-MVFC Honorable Mention honors for the first time in his career after starting all 11 games at middle linebacker for the Redbirds. The redshirt freshman tied for second on the team with 74 tackles (42 solo) and was fourth on the team with 9.0 tackles for loss on the season. He was also credited with 1.5 sacks, seven pass breakups and seven quarterback hurries in his breakout campaign. - Illinois State Football

(DS#46 ILB) rJr/2027

ILB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State
News Source: Illinois State Football
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11/27/23 - Zack Annexstad, rSr/2024, Illinois State, 6-3, 220 (DS#37 QB) + More +

2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL HONORABLE MENTION: QB Zack Annexstad,...In his final season for the Redbirds, Annexstad picked up All-MVFC honors as he completed 69.7 percent of passes for 2,114 yards and 17 touchdowns with just five interceptions before missing the final two games of the season due to injury. The two-time team captain finished his year ranked in the top 10 nationally in completion percentage and completions per game and threw for a career-high five touchdowns at Youngstown State. - Illinois State Football

(DS#37 QB) rSr/2024

QB Zack Annexstad, Illinois State
News Source: Illinois State Football
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11/27/23 - Mason Blakemore, Sr/2025, Illinois State, 6-0, 215 (DS#999 RB) + More +

2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM: RB Mason Blakemore, Illinois State, Jr.,...In his first season with the Redbirds following a transfer from Northern Illinois, Blakemore led the team with 983 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. His 14 rushing touchdowns and 98.3 yards per game were both MVFC highs, while his 6.6 yards per carry average ranked him in the top 10 in the FCS. The Centralia, Illinois, native tallied five games with over 100 yards rushing, including a season-high 170 yards with three touchdowns in a win over Western. He twice earned MVFC weekly honors, once as offensive player of the week and once as newcomer of the week. - Illinois State Football

(DS#999 RB) Sr/2025

RB Mason Blakemore, Illinois State
News Source: Illinois State Football
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11/27/23 - Cam Grandy, rSr/2024, Illinois State, 6-5, 253 (DS#31 TE) + More +

2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM: TE Cam Grandy, Illinois State, Sr.,...Grandy also made an immediate impact for the Redbird offense after transferring from Missouri Western, as he led all tight ends and ranked 10th in the MVFC in receiving yards. The Benson, Illinois, native ranked second on the team with 63 receptions for 612 yards with three touchdowns and averaged 9.7 yards per catch and 55.6 yards per game. - Illinois State Football

(DS#31 TE) rSr/2024

TE Cam Grandy, Illinois State
News Source: Illinois State Football
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11/27/23 - Tye Niekamp, rJr/2027, Illinois State, 6-2, 240 (DS#46 ILB) + More +

2023 MISSOURI VALLEY FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: LB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State, 6-3, 230, R-Fr., Normal, Ill. (Normal Community High)...Started all 11 games at middle linebacker as a redshirt freshman, tying for second on the team with 74 tackles (42 solo)...only league player to be named to the Jerry Rice Award watch list...was fourth on the team with 9.0 TFLs on the season and was also credited with 1.5 sacks, seven pass breakups and seven quarterback hurries...had nine tackles, a half sack and 2.0 TFLs in first career start vs. Dayton...posted a career-high 11 tackles with two pass breakups at Eastern Illinois...tallied a sack and six tackles in a win over Lindenwood...recorded 10 tackles and 1.5 TFLs against UNI. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#46 ILB) rJr/2027

ILB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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