Tommy Rittenhouse had a touchdown passing and two more on the ground, Wenkers Wright ran for 153 yards and Illinois State held on to defeat North Alabama 24-17.
FLORENCE, Ala. — Tommy Rittenhouse had a touchdown passing and two more on the ground, Wenkers Wright ran for 153 yards and Illinois State held on to defeat North Alabama 24-17 on Saturday night.
Rittenhouse had an 18-yard touchdown pass to Mitch Bartol early in the first quarter and the quarterback added a 3-yard touchdown run early in the second as Illinois State built a 14-3 halftime lead. Rittenhouse’s 71-yard touchdown run gave the Redbirds a 21-10 lead in the third quarter and they extended it to 24-10 on a 21-yard field goal by Ian Wagner near the end of the quarter.
Ari Patu rallied North Alabama in the fourth quarter, scoring on a 7-yard run that made it 24-17, then driving the Lions well into Illinois State territory on their final drive. The Lions reached the 24-yard line but Patu was forced into four incomplete passes.Patu was 21 of 36 passing for 328 yards with a touchdown and an interception. His top target was Takairee Kenebrew, who had 129 yards on seven catches.
Ari Patu Alabama IL State Wire AL State Wire Sports S Mitch Bartol
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