It would have been a bold take in most circles to suggest that the NDSU Bison wouldn't be on the grand stage this season.

It would have been bolder to suggest that they'd lose before the FCS quarterfinals.

The unlikely occurred on Saturday, as fellow MVFC foe Illinois State entered Fargo undaunted, and rallied from several deficits and setbacks to secure a program-defining win.

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Per GoRedbirds.com:

FARGO, N.D. – Illinois State erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter against defending FCS National champion and top-seeded North Dakota State on Saturday, as a touchdown pass from Tommy Rittenhouse to Daniel Sobkowicz with 1:00 minute remaining in the game pulled ISU within one. Rittenhouse then found Scotty Presson Jr. for a two-point conversion to put ISU (10-4) up by one and the defense held on for a thrilling 29-28 win over the No. 1 ranked Bison (12-1) in the second round of the FCS playoffs at Gate City Bank at the Fargodome.

Here's a look at the final two-point try that made the difference:

It was one of the more unique upsets in recent FCS history, as the typically steady Tommy Rittenhouse threw 5 interceptions in the upset.

Next up, the Redbirds will once again continue their road trip, as they'll head to California to take on UC-Davis in the FCS Quarterfinals.

Sources: Valley Football on Twitter and GoRedbirds.com