IU football knows Aidan Chiles, but Northwestern presents a different challenge
- Zach Horwitz
- 10m ago
Aidan Chiles doesn’t need an introduction to Indiana’s defense.
The Hoosiers have seen him twice over the past two seasons, both while he was the starting quarterback at Michigan State. Both meetings ended with comfortable IU wins.
But when Chiles returns to Memorial Stadium on Friday night, Indiana won’t necessarily be preparing for the same quarterback, or the same offense, it has faced before.
Chiles transferred to Northwestern during the offseason and now operates an offense run by offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Through two games, the pairing has helped the Wildcats average nearly 38 points and more than 450 yards of offense per game.
“They’re doing a really nice job,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said Monday. “He’ll drop back, play-action, out-of-pocket, multiple formations, personnel groupings, spread the ball in the pass game.”
The challenge isn’t unfamiliar for Indiana.
In 2024, Chiles completed 16-of-24 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown against the Hoosiers as Michigan State jumped out to a 10-0 lead. Indiana responded by scoring 47 unanswered points in a 47-10 win.
Chiles was considerably more efficient when the teams met again last season in Bloomington. He completed 27-of-33 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown, at one point matching a Michigan State record with 20 consecutive completions. He also broke free for a 64-yard run.
Indiana still won 38-13.
Now, Chiles returns with a Northwestern offense designed to maximize both parts of his game.
“You’ve got to stop the run number one,” Cignetti said. “The quarterback can run it, obviously. When he drops back, he can still run it. You’ve got to contain him.”
Perhaps the biggest difference has been Chiles’ ability to limit mistakes.
He threw 11 interceptions during his first season at Michigan State in 2024 before cutting that number to three last season. Through Northwestern’s first two games this year, he has yet to throw one.
That has helped the Wildcats start 2-0 while scoring 75 points. Chiles accounted for five touchdowns alone in Northwestern’s 41-7 win against Colorado on Saturday, throwing for three and running for two more.
The Wildcats have also leaned heavily on their rushing attack. Cignetti even mentioned Northwestern running the ball roughly 66 percent of the time and averaging more than 200 rushing yards per game, forcing defenses to account for Chiles, multiple running backs and the possibility of Kelly attacking off play action calls.
For an Indiana defense coming off consecutive shutouts, Friday represents a different test than anything it faced during the first three weeks.
“We’re very critical of ourselves on defense,” fifth-year linebacker Isaiah Jones said Tuesday. “When you play a better opponent, you’re either going to rise to the challenge, or maybe a few weaknesses get exposed.”
Northwestern will face a different challenge, too.
Friday will be the Wildcats’ first road game of the season and it comes under the lights in Bloomington for Indiana’s Big Ten opener. Cignetti has repeatedly called for a full crowd after three afternoon games to begin the season.
Jones believes that environment can directly affect an opposing offense, particularly one that relies on communication before the snap.
“For an offense, it’s hard for them to check, it’s hard for them to audible, when you’re playing with all these fans yelling and getting loud on third down,” Jones said. “It’s like the 12th defender.”
Indiana has already seen what Chiles can do. He has completed more than 75 percent of his passes in his two previous meetings with the Hoosiers and showed last season that he can hurt them with both his arm and legs.
While neither past performance resulted in a win, Indiana will find out on Friday how much has changed — with Chiles, with Kelly’s offense and with a Northwestern team that presents the Hoosiers’ first Big Ten test of the season.
(Photo credit: Northwestern Athletics)
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