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    • Aidan Chiles' play shows the Michigan State Spartans are ready for a primetime showdown
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    Aidan Chiles' play shows the Michigan State Spartans are ready for a primetime showdown

    Kathleen William Posted on

    East Lansing — Aidan Chiles understood what it looked like. He also knew what it felt like.

    But when the Michigan State quarterback heard what his stats sounded like after Saturday night's 32-20 win over Iowa, his eyes lit up a little.

    True to form, after a season-high in which the sophomore completed 22 of 30 yards for 256 yards and a touchdown as a passer while also rushing for 51 yards against the Hawkeyes.

    “Whoa,” he said, smiling. “That sounds pretty.”

    It wasn't perfect. But it was pretty encouraging for a young quarterback whose struggles with turnovers and decision-making played a key role in the Spartans going into a three-game bye last week. And it's probably pretty scary if you're a Michigan fan wondering – and worried – what next week's rivalry game in Ann Arbor might look like.

    One team came out of the bye week on Saturday looking as confused as ever, losing by double digits on the road. In the other, it seemed as if some things had been sorted out with a double-digit win that was even more convincing than the final result suggested.

    And as the Spartans turn their attention to preparing for the Wolverines this week, they know they have something their arch-rivals simply don't have right now: a difference maker at the most important position on the field.

    When it matters, you go big

    That's what Chiles can be when he plays with himself, which he did for most of Saturday's game as the Spartans controlled the line of scrimmage, won time of possession by a 2-1 margin and didn't punt once against the Hawkeyes made.

    Michigan State finished the game with 468 yards on offense, and its performance on the ground – 212 rushing yards at 5.3 yards per carry – was as welcome as it was unexpected.

    But as the game tightened in the second half, it was the Chileans who made some of the best plays to put this game away. And perhaps none was bigger than the throw he made on second-and-19 from his own 34-yard line with 5:31 to play. The Spartans' lead fell to 25-20 after Iowa's Kaleb Johnson, the star running back who had been held in check all night, broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run.

    The pressure on Michigan State's offense was increased even further after a holding penalty on freshman left tackle Stanton Ramil put the Spartans in a corner. And if we're being honest, Chiles haven't handled pressure situations particularly well in their recent series of losses to Boston College, Ohio State and Oregon.

    But this time, he read Iowa's defense perfectly and saw the Hawkeyes drop into the familiar Cover-2 zone that veteran coordinator Phil Parker loves. However, Chiles didn't just read correctly. He also made the right throw, looking away from Montorie Foster Jr. in the flat and firing a rail shot to freshman Nick Marsh, who had found the hole in the zone and gained 24 yards on the play.

    After that, the chains kept moving as the Spartans' backfield tandem of Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams and Nate Carter took big chunks off the ground. Then Chiles made another play in the red zone that showed his development as a first-year starter this fall. On first-and-10 from the Iowa 12, he saw Marsh in single coverage wide to his left and checked from a run to a quick pass at the line of scrimmage. Marsh almost scored on that play — a replay showed he was down at the 1-yard line — but Carter scored on the next play, which turned out to be the final score.

    “It's a good feeling,” said Chiles, who made a handful of audible calls Saturday that turned into big plays. “I want to feel like this every week. I know I'm not showing it right now – I'm a little worn out and tired. But it feels great, especially knowing we didn’t win this game last year.”

    Life for today

    After saying that, he paused, then turned to one of his teammates and said, “I think they won the game last year? Did we play them last year?”

    Of course, Chiles could be forgiven for not knowing: He played for Oregon State last season. But when a reporter mentioned the Spartans' fourth-quarter collapse last year at Iowa and Cooper DeJean's game-winning 70-yard punt return for a touchdown, the quarterback interjected.

    “Oh, the punt return! I know this game!” he said.

    In a way, it was a reminder of how little baggage this team carries, despite what the rest of us might think or suggest.

    Of course that will also be important this week. Sure, the Spartans have lost their last two games against the Wolverines by a combined score of 78-7. That includes last year's 49-0 loss at home, in which the Spartans had more penalties (11) than first downs (10) and gained just 133 total yards.

    But that wasn't Jonathan Smith's team. And Chiles is not Katin Houser. (Jay Johnson doesn't call the plays for him either.)

    But the big plays under pressure he made on Saturday will be even more crucial next weekend in Ann Arbor, as Michigan's defensive front will certainly face him more than this Iowa defense here. Likewise, Chiles knows he can't make the unforced errors he did in the first half of this season. His eight interceptions and 15 turnovers in six games were the second-fewest among FBS quarterbacks.

    Chiles nearly threw another pick on Michigan State's second scoring drive when safety Quinn Schulte flat-out blocked a late pass thrown behind tight end Jack Velling at the Iowa 40. However, he threw one on the Spartans' next possession.

    “The pick was kind of an expected throw,” he later explained. “I knew where my receiver was going to be, but I didn’t know who else was going to be there. This was just a stupid rookie mistake that I can easily fix. It wasn't a footwork thing, it wasn't. … But after the election, I thought, ‘Okay, I know what I’m doing.’ I felt calm and ready to go.”

    He showed it by completing 12 of his next 13 attempts and subsequently 18 of 21 total attempts. There were still some hiccups, including an intentional penalty that didn't sit well with head coach Jonathan Smith.

    “But other than that, I thought he was out of it,” said Smith, who earned his first Big Ten home win Saturday. “In my opinion, he played his best overall game tonight.”

    Maybe perfect timing. Because I'm pretty sure the bright lights will seem even brighter next week.

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    Kathleen William
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