Illinois State Redbirds at UC Davis Aggies
· FCS Championship - Quarterfinals
Rittenhouse, Sobkowicz help unseeded Illinois State beats UC Davis, advance to FCS semis
Illinois State (11-4), which beat top-seeded and previously unbeaten North Dakota State 29-28 to advance to the quarterfinals, plays No. 12 seed Villanova next Saturday. The Redbirds advanced to the semifinals for the third time in program history, the first since 2014.
Caden Pinnick hit Zach Jones for a 65-yard gain but Shadwel Nkuba II punched out the ball and recovered the fumble. The Redbirds followed with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with Rittenhouse throwing a 17-yard TD pass to Sobkowicz that made it 35-17 with 2:06 left in the third quarter.
Rittenhouse was 15-of-20 passing for 266 yards and threw an interception. Sobkowicz finished with 150 yards receiving, which included a 93-yard touchdown, on six catches. Seth Glatz, who went into the game with three rushing touchdowns this season, ran for TDs of 14 and 58 yards in the second half. Victor Dawson had 148 yards rushing on 29 carries.
Illinois State finished with a season-high 273 yards rushing.
Pinnick was 29-of-41 passing for 402 yards and three touchdowns for No. 8 seed UC Davis (9-4). Stacy Dobbins finished with 10 receptions for 121 yards and two TDs. Jordan Fisher had a 23-yard rushing touchdown and caught a 1-yard TD pass from Pinnick.
The Aggies drove to the Redbirds 2 before CJ Richard Jr. intercepted a pass in the end zone with 9:34 remaining.
Sobkowicz has 250 career receptions, tied with Tyrone Walker (2009-12) for most in program history.
The Aggies won the only previous matchup between the programs 42-10 in the second round of the 2024 FCS playoffs.
How To Watch
How can I watch Illinois State Redbirds vs. UC Davis Aggies?
- TV Channel: Redbirds at Aggies 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on ESPN+.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Scoring Summary
 |
FG | 1st Period 13:42 | Hunter Ridley 35 Yd Field Goal |
 |
TD | 1st Period 13:30 | Chris Taylor 91 Yd Kickoff Return (Matt Maldonado Kick) |
|
TD | 1st Period 11:34 | Jordan Fisher 23 Yd Run (Hunter Ridley Kick) |
|
TD | 1st Period 8:49 | Dylan Lord 37 Yd pass from Tommy Rittenhouse (Matt Maldonado Kick) |
|
TD | 1st Period 4:21 | Daniel Sobkowicz 93 Yd pass from Tommy Rittenhouse (Matt Maldonado Kick) |
|
TD | 1st Period 1:44 | Stacy Dobbins 12 Yd pass from Caden Pinnick (Hunter Ridley Kick) |
|
TD | 3rd Period 9:48 | Seth Glatz 14 Yd Run (Matt Maldonado Kick) |
|
TD | 3rd Period 2:06 | Daniel Sobkowicz 17 Yd pass from Tommy Rittenhouse (Matt Maldonado Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 3:35 | Seth Glatz 58 Yd Run (Matt Maldonado Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 2:11 | Jordan Fisher 1 Yd pass from Caden Pinnick (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) |
|
TD | 4th Period 0:47 | Stacy Dobbins 24 Yd pass from Caden Pinnick (Caden Pinnick Pass to Jordan Fisher for Two-Point Conversion) |
Statistics
 ILST |
 UCD |
|
|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1st Downs | 24 |
| 5-8 | 3rd down efficiency | 6-11 |
| 1-1 | 4th down efficiency | 0-2 |
| 532 | Total Yards | 533 |
| 266 | Passing | 402 |
| 15/21 | Comp/Att | 29/41 |
| 12.7 | Yards per pass | 9.8 |
| 266 | Rushing | 131 |
| 42 | Rushing Attempts | 24 |
| 6.3 | Yards per rush | 5.5 |
| 6-68 | Penalties | 6-55 |
| 1 | Turnovers | 2 |
| 0 | Fumbles lost | 1 |
| 1 | Interceptions thrown | 1 |
| 35:45 | Possession | 24:15 |
Game Information
Location: Davis, CA
Attendance: 9,216 · Capacity:
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