One of the powers of FCS football takes on the biggest Cinderella story in the history of the FCS football tournament in the 2026 FCS National Championship.

Illinois State Football continues their Cinderella run in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs after their win against Villanova Saturday. With two passing touchdowns from senior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse,

Tommy Rittenhouse threw two touchdown passes to Daniel Sobkowicz and Victor Dawson rushed for 155 yards and a score to lead Illinois State to a 30-14 victory over Villanova in a FCS semifinal at Villanova Stadium.

It has been big plays from quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse to receiver Daniel Sobkowicz that has gotten the Redbirds this far and such was the case again in this one. Illinois State opened the scoring with a 53-yard pitch and catch from Rittenhouse to Sobkowicz in the first quarter to make it 7-0 and quiet down the Villanova crowd.

Semi-final Saturday concludes and Illinois State punches their ticket to a title game! Recap all of the top action here!

Illinois State made FCS history Saturday night, winning a fourth playoff road to get a date in the national title game.