EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Aidan Chiles passed for three touchdowns for the second time this season and ran for another as Northwestern routed Ball State 45-14 in a non-conference matchup on Saturday.
Chiles threw for 272 yards on a 17 for 23 afternoon in Northwestern's second game at its swanky new Ryan Field. The 6-foot-4 senior transfer from Michigan State upped his season totals to nine passing TD's and six on the ground.
Chiles' athleticism was on display not just with his arm. So was his ability to scramble and adapt — even recover the ball after mishandling, then dashing for a first down to keep a first-quarter scoring drive rolling.
“Aidan's ability, when things break down, to extend things with his feet is a critical piece of what we're doing,” Wildcats coach David Braun said. “You don't necessarily want that, but not everything is going to be perfect. That's really hard to defend.”
Chiles described his style as “just playing football" and feeling “happy” on the field.
“Just being able to get away from people and you know just staying on my feet and being able to make a play,” he said. “It’s nothing to it. It’s just being an athlete.”
Griffin Wilde pulled in a touchdown, his third, and finished with 144 receiving yards on eight catches. Drew Wagner and Alex Honig also caught passes for scores.
Wilde, a senior wideout, leads the Wildcats with 425 receiving yards.
“It's an equal-opportunity offense and the guys who are open are going to get the ball,” Chiles said. “Griff gets open."
Caleb Komolafe rushed for a TD and Robert Fitzgerald returned an interception for a 15-yard score as the Wildcats (4-1) raced ahead early, stumbled briefly in the second quarter, then took charge in the second half. Jackson Kleather added a 52-yard field goal.
Ball State's Keldric Luster passed for 209 yards (27 for 41) and a 2-yard touchdown to Jamarion McDougle as time ran out in the first half. TJ Horton punched in a TD from the 1 midway through the second quarter for the Cardinals' (1-5) first score.
Northwestern scored on its first four drives, then added a touchdown off Fitzgerald’s pick to build a 31-14 lead at the half.
Northwestern stopped Ball State’s punt formation sneak from its 36 5:29 into the third quarter. Two plays later, Chiles tossed a 12-yard TD to Wagner, and Northwestern led 38-14.
Wagner’s apparent 92-year punt return for a touchdown late in the third quarter was nullified by a series of penalties. A final infraction, sideline interference against Northwestern, put the Wildcats back at their 1 to start a drive with 4:34 left in the third.
After the odd call, Chiles engineered a 10-play, 99-yard drive that culminated in 32-yard TD pass to Honig and a 45-14 Northwestern lead.
Northwestern packed 35,000-seat Ryan Field for its grand opening on Oct. 2 and a 34-13 win over Penn State. On Saturday, fewer than half of the stadium's purple seats were occupied, even though attendance was announced as 25,629.
Ball State: Ball State and Luster showed signs of making a game of it in their second meeting with a Big Ten opponent this season. The Cardinals were pounded 56-3 in a season-opening loss at Ohio State
Northwestern: Chiles pounced on opportunities and got Northwestern out of a bit of trouble.
Ball State: at Mid-American Conference rival Bowling Green next Saturday.
Northwestern: The Wildcats return to Big Ten play at Michigan State next Saturday. —-
Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here
