Illinois State quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse, a junior out of St. Francis High School in Wheaton, has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards and led the Redbirds to a 4-2 record.
Photo courtesy of Illinois State University Athletics

At the start of the season, Illinois State coach Brock Spack tried to sell the idea of a two-quarterback offense.

The plan was to utilize both junior Tommy Rittenhouse from St. Francis and Kansas State transfer Jake Rubley. Both have played in every game, but Rittenhouse has taken the majority of snaps and proved he can handle the job, throwing for nearly 1,000 yards while leading the No. 16 Redbirds to a 4-2 record.

One preseason article described Rittenhouse as primarily a running quarterback. That may have been true in 2022 when he made his first start against Youngstown State, throwing for 103 yards and running for 81. But not now.

“I feel this whole off-season I did a really good job attacking my passing game and doing what was necessary to improve that aspect,” he said in a phone interview. “It feels really good. The guys around me are all doing their jobs.”

Rittenhouse has two primary receiving targets. One is Rolling Meadows grad Daniel Sobkowicz with 24 catches for 308 yards, slightly behind fellow wide receiver Xavier Loyd.

Rolling Meadows alumnus Daniel Sobkowicz has 24 catches for 308 yards this season.
Photo courtesy of Illinois State University Athletics

Last week in a 45-10 victory at Southern Illinois, Rittenhouse scored on a 36-yard run and found Sobkowicz for a 38-yard touchdown. Then Sobkowicz threw a TD pass of his own, covering 28 yards to Loyd.

Sobkowicz, whose older brother Max also played at ISU, made his mark quickly, leading the Redbirds in receiving as a redshirt freshman in 2022. Rittenhouse was the backup QB the past two seasons but did start five games due to injuries to starter Zack Anexstad.

“I think he’s just got that ‘it’ factor,” Rittenhouse said of Sobkowicz. “He knows the game very well, recognizes coverages. I feel we’re developing that chemistry. Came in the same class freshman year.”

One storyline with Rittenhouse going back to his high school days is he’s diabetic. He regularly takes insulin shots on the sideline during games and has to monitor his blood sugar.

“It’s maybe a little harder (to deal with) in college,” he said. “I think the intensity of a game is a lot more to handle. But I’ve had it since I was 4 years old, so I kind of know what I need to take into factor on game day and practice. Nothing I can’t really handle.”

Before arriving at Illinois State, Sobkowicz might have been better known as a basketball player at Rolling Meadows. He grew up with current Lakers guard Max Christie, and the two played on some very good teams.

“Maybe in junior, senior year of high school, my main sport was probably basketball,” he said. “I still really miss basketball. I played (with Christie) since the feeder program, fourth or fifth grade. I’ve known him for a long time, played with his brother (Cam) in high school too. We’ve always been pretty good friends.”

Last season, Sobkowicz threw two passes in games. One went for a touchdown and one was intercepted.

“I think I regained (offensive coordinator Tony Petersen’s) trust,” he said. “It’s good that we’re utilizing that.”

Illinois State hasn’t been to the FCS playoffs since 2019. After rolling past SIU, the Redbirds seem to be the state of Illinois’ best chance of getting there, especially since they don’t play either of the South Dakota schools, both ranked in the top five. ISU will host No. 25 Missouri State on Saturday in Normal.

“We’re in the (Missouri) Valley (Conference) so we’re going to get tough games each week, no matter the opponent,” Rittenhouse said. “We’ve got to approach every the same, continue to focus on our execution and continue having fun with the season.”

FCS roundup:

Southern Illinois has lost three quarterbacks to long-term injuries, leaving true freshman Jake Curry from Edwardsville to finish the game against Illinois State. According to Prairie State Pigskin, the Salukis are trying to add graduate assistant Michael Lindauer to the active roster to give them a second option at QB. … After snapping a long losing streak, Western Illinois made it two wins in a row by beating Charleston Southern 31-20 last weekend. Linebacker Juan Dela Cruz (Warren) had a team-high 10 tackles. … Linebacker Anthony Shockey (Glenbard East) had a team-high 12 tackles in EIU’s loss to Southeast Missouri.

Local standouts:

Possibly the game of the week in Division III was Wisconsin-Platteville’s 30-27 overtime victory at No. 5 Wisconsin-LaCrosse. Platteville used a trick play for the winning touchdown, a lateral pass from QB Michael Priami (St. Charles North) to wide receiver Brandt Stare (Neuqua Valley), who fired it into the end zone for Ryan Doherty (St. Charles North). …

Running back Ta’Vion Geanes (Willowbrook) notched a career-high 115 yards on just 13 carries in Aurora’s 45-14 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran. … Wide receiver Breyden Smith (Hersey) piled up 10 catches for 135 yards for Augustana in an overtime loss to North Park. … Mark Gronowski (Neuqua Valley) threw three touchdown passes, including a 66-yarder, in South Dakota State’s 41-3 victory at Northern Iowa.