Illinois State defeats Villanova in the 2025 FCS playoff semifinals, advances to national title

Illinois State dominated Villanova on the road from start to finish en route to a 30-14 FCS semifinal win.

Illinois State set the tone early with a 53-yard bomb to star wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz who finished with seven catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown put the Redbirds up 21-6 entering halftime, putting the game out of reach.

In the second half, Illinois State leaned on a third-straight career-high day on the ground from running back Victor Dawson, who rushed for 155 yards after going for 148 and 137 in his last two games. Dawson and the ground attack dominated the time of possession for 36:48. Click or tap here for final stats from the game.

Illinois State becomes the first team in the 24-team FCS playoff era to make the national championship game after playing all road games and only the second unseeded team in the 24-team era to make the national championship game.

Overall, it’ll be Illinois State’s first FCS Championship game appearance since 2014. The Redbirds have never won a national championship.

You can catch the 2025-26 FCS Championship Game on Monday, January 5, 2026 at theFirstBank Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.