Aidan Chiles silences doubters in sharp performance vs. Iowa

Who would have thought it would take a game against one of the best defenses in the Big Ten for Aidan Chiles to really break out of that shell and show the rest of the conference that he is a force to be reckoned with?

The sophomore quarterback had his best game of the season against the Hawkeyes on Saturday night, completing 22-of-30 passes for 256 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in a 32-20 win. His pick was just a really bad read and he almost had another, but he made great decisions the rest of the game and even rushed for 51 yards on 11 carries. He was smart with the ball in his hands.

While Jonathan Kim stole the headlines with his six field goals, it was Chiles who really moved the ball down the field every time the Spartans had the ball and made the plays necessary to get the Spartans in scoring range.

Chiles and the offense were so efficient and clean with the ball that the Spartans didn’t punt the ball once and had 468 yards against a defense that has done a really solid job this year as one of the nation’s top defenses.

Not only was he making smart throws, but he was also making NFL throws to Nick Marsh and Montorie Foster in tight windows all game long. If it weren’t for that bad pick early in the game, he was essentially perfect. Accounting for over 300 total yards against Iowa is a good indication that you are pretty darn talented. Sure, he made some mistakes, but he didn’t make any that put the Spartans in a bad spot or cost the game.

If Michigan State can get this version of Aidan Chiles moving forward, not only will it make a bowl game, but it could push for 8-9 wins and a couple of upsets down the stretch.

Happy Hate Week, everyone.