Ex-St. Francis star QB, Geneva native Tommy Rittenhouse set to lead Illinois State into FCS title game

St. Francis grad Tommy Rittenhouse came back from throwing five picks to throw two touchdown passes in the final three minutes and lead Illinois State in a colossal upset of No. 1 North Dakota State. Two wins later, Rittenhouse is set to lead the Redbirds into the FCS title game.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Next Saint Francis star QB. Geneva native Tommy Rittenhouse set
to lead Illinois State into FCS title game. This article
is being read by an automated voice brought to you
by Everlett. Five interceptions in a single contest is normally
a nightmare for any quarterback. The next order of business, understandably,

(00:25):
would be setting the game film on fire. For Geneva
native Tommy Rittenhouse. That happened in the biggest victory of
his career. The Saint Francis High School grad came back
from the five picks to throw two touchdown passes in
the final three minutes and lead Illinois State in a
colossal upset of number one North Dakota State in the
FCS playoffs. Two victories later, Writtenhouse is ready to lead

(00:48):
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, Writtenhouse said in a phone interview.
That was all the mindset I had akerfore like that,
cam blenty of teammates, coaches, everyone coming up to me
saying we're going to get you the opportunity at the

(01:10):
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 Sabkowitz when both arrived
as freshman in twenty twenty one. Subquits has been on

(01:32):
fire during the FCS playoffs and caught both late game
TD passes against North Dakota State. The two combined for
four more touchdowns and ensuing victories over UC Davis and Villanova.
Not too many quarterbacks I've been around could ever do
what he did. Illinois State coach brocks back set of Writtenhouse.
He has a really uncannyability to get himself out of

(01:52):
a tailspin. If the red Birds win Monday, suburban quarterbacks
will have captured three of the last four FCS titles.
Mark Gronowski Nukwa Valley won in twenty twenty two and
twenty three with South Dakota State before transferring to Iowa
this year. The high school class of twenty one was
loaded with area quarterbacks. JJ McCarthy technically was in Florida

(02:16):
by then, but spent his first three years at Nazareth
Academy and is now with the Minnesota Vikings. Antiox Athon
kliakmanis 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.

(02:38):
He was five foot seven when he started high school
and played on a freshman team that finished one night,
but he trained with McCarthy under quarterback coach Greg Holcombe
while also playing with McCarthy and Gronowski on the Naperville
based Midwest Boom seven on seven program. I think that
talent really pushes each other to make guys better and
I took a lot from that, especially from JJ where

(03:00):
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
five to eleven, 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 sixty

(03:21):
four percent of his passes with thirty six touchdowns and
twelve interceptions. It's been a wild journey, he said. Dan
got a shot a little earlier than I did. Started
playing a sophomore year more of a waiting game for me,
but it gave me more time to develop into the
player I am now.