Rittenhouse reaches peak for Illinois State in playoffs

Five interceptions in a single contest is normally a nightmare for any quarterback. The next order of business understandably would be setting the game film on fire.

For Geneva native Tommy Rittenhouse, that happened in the biggest victory of his career.

The St. Francis High School grad came back from the 5 picks to throw 2 touchdown passes in the final three minutes and lead Illinois State in a colossal upset of No. 1 North Dakota State in the FCS playoffs.

Two victories later, Rittenhouse is ready to lead the Redbirds into the FCS title game against Montana State on Monday in Nashville.

“You can't change anything in the past, you've got to keep moving forward and just take it one play at a time,” Rittenhouse said in a phone interview. “That was all the mindset I had.

“I had plenty of teammates, coaches, everyone coming up to me, saying, 'We're going to get you the opportunity at the end of this game to win it.' And that's exactly what happened.”

The first three interceptions were tipped at the line of scrimmage, so there was some bad luck involved. Fortunately for Illinois State, Rittenhouse befriended a walk-on wide receiver from Rolling Meadows named Daniel Sobkowicz when both arrived as freshmen in 2021.

Sobkowicz has been on fire during the FCS playoffs and caught both late-game TD passes against North Dakota State. The two combined for 4 more touchdowns in ensuing victories over UC-Davis and Villanova.

“Not too many quarterbacks I've been around could ever do what he did,” Illinois State coach Brock Spack said of Rittenhouse. “He has a really uncanny ability to get himself out of a tailspin.”

If the Redbirds win Monday, suburban quarterbacks will have captured three of the last four FCS titles. Mark Gronowski (Neuqua Valley) won in 2022 and '23 with South Dakota State, before transferring to Iowa this year.

The high school Class of '21 was loaded with area quarterbacks. J.J. McCarthy technically was in Florida by then, but spent his first three years at Nazareth Academy, and is now with the Minnesota Vikings.

Antioch's Athan Kaliakmanis (Minnesota, Rutgers); Naperville Central's Sam Jackson (Cal, Oklahoma State), and former NIU starter Ethan Hampton from Aurora Christian were also in that class.

Rittenhouse got off to a slower start. He was 5-foot-7 when he started high school and played on a freshman team that finished 1-8. But he trained with McCarthy under quarterback coach Greg Holcomb, while also playing with McCarthy and Gronowski on the Naperville-based Midwest Boom 7-on-7 program.

“I think that talent really pushes each other to make guys better, and I took a lot from that — especially from J.J., knowing where he is now,” Rittenhouse said. “The state of Illinois produces a lot of good quarterbacks and I think that really pushed me to become a better player.”

Now listed at 5-11, Rittenhouse's style is unconventional. He's a run threat, but that's not a major part of his game. Being a fifth-year senior and second-year starter taught him to be a winner. On the season, he's completed 64% of his passes, with 36 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

“It's been a wild journey,” he said. “Dan got his shot a little earlier than I did, started playing his sophomore year. More of a waiting game for me, but it gave me more time to develop into the player I am now.”