For the third consecutive season, quarterback Aidan Chiles will go head-to-head with Indiana. He hopes this will finally be the trip where the outcome changes.
Chiles has never beaten Indiana. In two prior meetings as Michigan State's starter, the Spartans lost in East Lansing in 2024 and again in Bloomington in 2025. The Hoosiers outscored the Spartans 85-23. Chiles threw two total touchdowns in the two games; both of those touchdowns were to now-Indiana wideout Nick Marsh.
Chiles had a good game against the Hoosiers last year. The quarterback completed 27 of 33 passes for 243 yards, and gave Indiana a scare in Memorial Stadium before the Hoosiers scored 38 points behind four Fernando Mendoza touchdown passes.
Now Chiles is back in Bloomington. Only this time his jersey is purple instead of green, and he gets the luxury of being coached by one of football’s best offensive minds, Chip Kelly. In only two starts, it looks like Chiles is playing his best football under new guidance from Kelly.
New Place, New Quarterback
Through two games with Northwestern, Chiles is completing 67.4% of his passes for 514 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. It’s a significant step up from the play we saw at Michigan State. The Northwestern offense topped 400 total yards in both games with Chiles under center. It’s been mistake-free, as the Wildcats haven’t turned the ball over, which has been a concern in the past for the quarterback. Chiles looks like a better passer with a strong pocket presence; however, his legs should worry the Indiana defense.
With 15 rushing touchdowns in his career, Chiles has added three of those through two games in the Kelly system. One of those rushing touchdowns came from a designed quarterback draw in the fourth quarter to push the Wildcats' lead to double digits. He was also effective on the ground during last year’s matchup in Bloomington, adding 48 yards on eight carries, the second-most rushing yards Indiana allowed from a quarterback all year.
Starting linebacker Isaiah Jones also knows how important it will be to stop Chiles on the ground to extend Indiana’s winning streak to 20.
“He's an athletic player,” Jones said. “He's got a good arm, he can move in the pocket, he can run. He's definitely a dual-threat quarterback; he's being well coached at Northwestern, so we're excited to get his best shot.”
For Curt Cignetti, this is now the third straight season he’s spent buried in his office watching tape from Chiles. Now Cignetti has to prepare to see him in an entirely new offense.
“It's a little different system than Michigan State, so they're doing a really nice job,” Cignetti said. “He'll drop back, play-action, out-of-pocket, multiple formations, personnel groupings, spread the ball in the pass game. Hadn't thrown an interception all season long and can extend plays, tuck it and run, which we saw. I think he broke one for about 60 on us last year. He's a really good player. He's a really quality player.”
For Bryant Haines’ defense, which enters Friday night having allowed just 203.3 yards per game, which is sixth best in the FBS, containing a quarterback and stopping the run in a rush-heavy offense has to be the key to the game for the Hoosiers, and Cignetti knows it.
“You got to stop the run, No. 1,” Cignetti said, noting Northwestern is running the ball roughly 66% of the time. “The quarterback can run it, obviously. When he drops back, he can still run it. You got to contain him…You prepare for what they've shown on tape. You do what you do…All starts within this particular game on defense. Got to stop the run and contain that quarterback, and then don't let him throw it over our head. Tackle in space. Swarm the ball. Dominate up front.”
Why Not Northwestern?
Back at Big Ten Media days in July, Northwestern head coach David Braun stood in front of the media and delivered a powerful statement: “Why not us?” Braun has aspirations of a Big Ten title, a College Football Playoff berth, even a national title at Northwestern. While that seems very far-fetched, it’s hard to argue that there isn’t a significant wave of momentum on the Wildcats’ side right now. They officially unveiled their new state-of-the-art Ryan Field on Wednesday, sit at 2-0 to start the season, steamrolled Colorado at home and now have one of the sharpest minds in all of football calling the plays on offense.
The Wildcats are 2-0 for the first time since 2020, a year when they played for a Big Ten Championship. They’ve scored 75 points through two games, their most points through two games since 2017. Simply put, they pose a threat to Indiana and its winning streak.
Indiana comes into Friday night looking to uphold its standard of excellence and extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 20 games. For Northwestern and Chiles, it’s an opportunity to embrace the “why not us?” mentality and shock the world. If Indiana wants to keep its perfect season alive, it needs to defend the entire field, especially the ground game. Friday night under the lights to start conference play, you couldn’t script a better start.
