Illinois State stuns top-ranked North Dakota State in second round of FCS playoffs

North Dakota State will not be winning its 11th FCS championship this season, not after a stunning collapse in the second round of the playoffs.

Illinois State scored 15 points in the final three minutes to stun the top-seeded Bison 29-28 on Saturday at the Fargodome.

The Bison (12-1), who had a bye in the first round of the playoffs, intercepted Tommy Rittenhouse five times, including a 73-yard return for a touchdown. They also threw a 73-yard touchdown pass on their first play from scrimmage, returned a punt 52 yards for a score and led 28-14 with the ball and less than five minutes remaining.

But it all fell apart. The Cardinals (10-4), who had lost their past 14 meetings with the Bison, including 33-16 on Oct. 4 in Normal, Ill., pulled within 28-21 with 2:44 left following Rittenhouse’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Sobkowicz.

North Dakota State’s next possession lasted three plays, as the Cardinals got the ball back on Jake Anderson’s sack and fumble recovery at the Bison 23-yard line with 1:51 left. On fourth-and-goal from the 6, Rittenhouse rolled out before teaming with Sobkowicz again for a 6-yard TD pass to make it 28-27, and Rittenhouse’s two-point conversion pass to Scotty Presson Jr. gave the Cardinals the lead.

The Bison reached midfield on their ensuing possession but were stopped on downs.

North Dakota State’s average margin of victory this season was 30.5 points. Only twice had the Bison won by one score.

Illinois State lost to North Dakota State 29-27 in the FCS championship game in January 2015, a game in which Bison quarterback Carson Wentz scored the go-ahead touchdown with 37 seconds to play. That title was NDSU’s fourth in a row.

Montana 50, South Dakota State 29: Keali’i Ah Yat threw for 360 yards and four touchdowns and Eli Gillman ran for 135 yards and two TDs to pace the third-seeded Grizzlies (12-1) past the Jackrabbits (9-5) in Missoula, Mont.

The Grizzlies never trailed after Gillman, a junior from Dassel-Cokato High School who was the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year, scored on a 5-yard TD run for a 15-14 Montana lead with 5:42 left in the first half. His 11-yard TD made it 42-22 in the fourth quarter.

Chase Mason passed for 356 yards and a TD for the Jackrabbits.

This will be the first season since 2016 where the FCS championship game will not include either North Dakota State or South Dakota State.