Aidan Chiles Returns to East Lansing as Northwestern Visits Michigan State

Michigan State vs Northwestern football brings a familiar face back to Spartan Stadium on Saturday at 12:06 p.m. The Big Ten matchup will air on Peacock, with Northwestern favored by 7.5 points.

The storyline centers on Aidan Chiles, who started most of two seasons at Michigan State before transferring to Northwestern. Chiles lost his starting job and confidence last season, but he has revived his career in Evanston. He now leads the Big Ten in completion percentage and has thrown nine touchdown passes without an interception.

Northwestern enters at 4-1, with its only loss coming at Indiana. The Wildcats average 35.4 points per game, a dozen more than last year, and have College Football Playoff aspirations. Their offense, tailored for Chiles and featuring elements of the Chip Kelly system including the Wing-T, thrashed Penn State and kept the Indiana game close when the run game stalled.

Michigan State’s Injury Woes

Michigan State is dealing with a long list of absences. The Spartans are missing their top three inside linebackers, top three cornerbacks, starting left tackle Ben Murawski and starting running back Cam Edwards, who is out for the season.

Freshman cornerbacks Jeremiah Favorite and KJ Deriso had good moments last week, and Jaziun Patterson has been a bright spot at running back. But the depth concerns are real. Linebackers Jordan Hall and Cam Stodghill are injured, and DiMari Malone is also on the injury report.

Northwestern has more players on its injury report, but fewer are ruled out. Safety Robert Fitzgerald is listed as questionable.

Coaching Storylines

Pat Fitzgerald, a former Northwestern player and coach of 17 seasons, now leads the Wildcats after a period of exile. He downplayed the significance of facing his former program, but MSU defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said the game is important to Fitzgerald. Rossi knows Chiles well from their time together at Michigan State.

On the other side, Alessio Milivojevic replaced Chiles as MSU’s starter last season. The two have a good relationship and respect each other. Chiles said he looks forward to returning to East Lansing.

Prediction

Columnist Graham Couch predicts Northwestern 31, MSU 17. The Wildcats have more to play for, while the Spartans are seeking any win. Michigan State is due for a break after a surprise onside kick recovery against Illinois was overturned and forced fumbles often bounced back to opponents. But Northwestern’s offense, led by Chiles, should be too much.