Rittenhouse and Sobkowicz team up in 2nd OT to give Illinois State 38-36 win over North Alabama

NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — Tommy Rittenhouse threw a touchdown pass and 2-point conversion to Daniel Sobkowicz in the second overtime, Cam Wilson intercepted a pass to end the game, and Illinois State escaped with a wild 38-36 win over North Alabama on Saturday in a game that had two hour-long weather delays.

Ari Patu matched Rittenhouse by throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Justin Pegues on fourth-and-3 but had his successful 2-point pass to KJ Fields negated by a chop block, setting up Wilson’s clinching interception in the end zone.

Ian Vachon had a 42-yard field goal and Matt Maldonado answered from 38 in the first overtime, overshadowing their misses in the final minute of regulation.

Illinois State (3-1), ranked fourth in the FCS coaches poll, never trailed and was up 27-21 on Maldonado’s career-best 51-yard field goal with 2:36 left in regulation. North Alabama marched 75 yards and tied the game on a 25-yard pass from Patu to Fields with 33 seconds remaining, but Vachon hit the left upright on the PAT attempt.

Rittenhouse had a 27-yard completion and 16-yard run, setting up a 39-yard field goal attempt for Maldonado with 11 seconds left but Kaleb Brown blocked the kick.

Rittenhouse threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 85 yards on nine carries. Sobkowica had 10 catches for 150 yards and two scores.

Patu had 243 yards and four touchdown passes with Pegues catching 10 for 91 yards and two scores.

Illinois State led 17-0 nothing before the first delay late in the second quarter. The second delay came after a North Alabama TD that made it 24-21 with 5:32 to play.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football