Today's era of college football sees players moving around from team to team on a frequent basis. The transfer portal allows players to seek new opportunities each year––even within the same conference.
Heading into Friday night's Big Ten opener against Northwestern, the Indiana Hoosiers are set to go up against a familiar face in a new place. Wildcat QB Aidan Chiles is in his first season with the purple and white after spending two seasons at Michigan State. During his time in East Lansing, Chiles faced Indiana twice. Neither contest went well for him, and the Hoosiers are prepared to give him even more trouble on Friday night in Bloomington.
Indiana seems to have Aidan Chiles' number through 2 matchups
After spending the 2023 season at Oregon State, Chiles followed head coach Jonathan Smith to Michigan State prior to the 2024 campaign. He was named the Spartans' starting quarterback to enter the season, and experienced many ups-and-downs throughout the season.
Chiles first faced Indiana in Week 10 of the 2024 season in East Lansing. The Hoosier defense made it a forgettable night for Chiles, as he threw two interceptions, was sacked three times, and managed to throw for just 193 yards. Chiles is an effective runner, but he was held to negative-2 rushing yards and was benched in favor of backup Tommy Schuster in the 2nd half. The 13th-ranked Hoosiers won the game handily by a score of 47-10.
Indiana Football vs. Northwestern: How to watch, injuries, odds, and predictions
Chiles and the Spartans would also face Indiana in Week 8 last season in Bloomington. Chiles was better, but it didn't lead to a different result for his team. In total, the Spartan QB threw for 243 yards and ran for 48 yards on 8 carries. He didn't throw an interception this time around, but he did lose a fumble. Indiana, the No. 3 team in the country, rolled to a 38-13 victory.
Add those two performances together and Chiles had more turnovers (4) than touchdowns (2) against the Hoosiers. Furthermore, he was sacked 6 times and his team lost by a combined score of 85-23.
Aidan Chiles presents a different challenge for Indiana on Friday night
Through two meetings, it's clear that Indiana has Chiles' number. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that will be the case on Friday night.
Michigan State was an absolute disaster under Jonathan Smith. The Spartans stayed at rock bottom of the Big Ten over his two seasons in East Lansing, going just 4-15 overall and 1-14 in Big Ten play before he was fired. Chiles wasn't put in a position to succeed, and while he struggled, he was far from the problem.
Chiles now has a new opportunity at Northwestern. The Wildcats have been steady under head coach David Braun, who is now into his 4th season in Evanston. Chiles also has a strong group of mentors and coaches, which includes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and quarterbacks coach Jerry Neuheisel. Both are brilliant offensive minds, and both have what it takes to dial up a strong game plan for Chiles against Indiana.
Through two games this season, Chiles has completed 67.4% of his passes for 514 yards with 4 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He's also added 3 touchdowns on the ground. Thus, Indiana shouldn't be overlooking Chiles by any means despite the previous success the Hoosiers have had against him.
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