Aidan Chiles has already seen Indiana twice, and the Hoosiers have made those nights miserable. But Friday’s Big Ten opener brings a different version of the quarterback - and Indiana knows it.
Chiles is now at Northwestern after two seasons at Michigan State, and his path to Bloomington has been shaped by the transfer portal era that keeps sending familiar names into new uniforms. He spent the 2023 season at Oregon State, followed head coach Jonathan Smith to East Lansing before the 2024 campaign, and was handed the starting job. The results in that setting were uneven, and Indiana took full advantage.
The first meeting came in Week 10 of the 2024 season in East Lansing, when the 13th-ranked Hoosiers turned Chiles’ night into a slog. He threw two interceptions, was sacked three times and finished with just 193 passing yards.
His legs didn’t save him either. Indiana held him to negative-2 rushing yards, and Chiles was eventually benched for Tommy Schuster in the second half.
The Hoosiers rolled, 47-10.
The second matchup was a little better for Chiles, but the outcome stayed the same. In Week 8 last season in Bloomington, he threw for 243 yards and ran for 48 more on eight carries, but he also lost a fumble. Indiana, then ranked No. 3 in the country, controlled the game and won 38-13.
Across those two games, Chiles finished with more turnovers, four, than touchdowns, two, against Indiana. He was sacked six times, and the Hoosiers outscored his teams 85-23 combined.
Still, the quarterback Indiana is preparing for now is not the same one it handled before. Michigan State’s two seasons under Jonathan Smith were rough - the Spartans went 4-15 overall and 1-14 in Big Ten play before Smith was fired - and Chiles was never in an ideal spot there. Northwestern, by contrast, has been steady under David Braun, now in his fourth season in Evanston.
He also has help around him. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and quarterbacks coach Jerry Neuheisel give Northwestern a pair of offensive minds capable of building a strong plan around Chiles.
And through two games this season, Chiles has looked sharper: 67.4% completions, 514 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He has added three rushing touchdowns as well.
Indiana may have solved him before. That doesn’t mean Friday night will play out the same way.
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Indiana still enters the matchup with three players listed out, one doubtful and one questionable, so there is uncertainty on its side of the report even with the added options. Northwesterns list is much longer, with 14 players out and three doubtful, including starting defensive back Braden Turner, leaving both teams to navigate a shortened pool as the game approaches. [Read more 🡒]