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    • Aidan Chiles’ play shows the Michigan State Spartans are ready for a prime-time rivalry game
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    Aidan Chiles’ play shows the Michigan State Spartans are ready for a prime-time rivalry game

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    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.

    As should be the case after a season-best game that saw the sophomore finish 22 of 30 for 256 yards and a touchdown as a passer, while also rushing for 51 yards against the Hawkeyes.

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

    It wasn’t perfect. But it was quite encouraging for a young quarterback whose struggles with turnovers and decision-making played a crucial role in the three-game skid the Spartans took into last week’s bye. And it’s probably pretty scary if you’re a Michigan fan wondering — and worrying — about what next week’s rivalry game in Ann Arbor might look like.

    One team came out of the bye week looking as confused as ever Saturday, losing by double digits along the way. The other seemed to figure things out in a double-digit win that was even more convincing than the final score indicated.

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

    It went big when it counted

    That’s what Chiles can be when he plays within himself, and that’s what he did for most of Saturday’s game as the Spartans controlled the line of scrimmage, winning time of possession by a 2-to-1 margin and never once times against the Hawkeyes. .

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

    But as the game tightened in the second half, it was Chiles who made some of the biggest plays to put this game away. And perhaps none was bigger than the throw he made on second-and-9 from his own 34-yard line with 5:31 to play. The Spartans’ lead dropped 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 further increased after a holding penalty on freshman left tackle Stanton Ramil put the Spartans behind the chains. And if we’re being honest, Chiles didn’t handle pressure situations very well in the recent string of losses to Boston College, Ohio State and Oregon.

    But this time, he read Iowa’s defense perfectly and saw the Hawkeyes get into that familiar Cover-2 zone that veteran coordinator Phil Parker loves. However, Chiles did not just read the correct text. He also made the right throw, looking away from Montorie Foster Jr. in the flat and threw a rail shot to freshman Nick Marsh, who had found the gap in the zone and picked up 24 yards on the play.

    The chains kept moving after that, as the Spartans’ backfield tandem of Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams and Nate Carter broke off big chunks on the ground. Then, Chiles made another play in the red zone that showed his growth as a first-year starter this fall. On first-and-10 from the Iowa 12, he spotted Marsh in single coverage wide to his left and checked from a run to a quick pass at the line of scrimmage. Marsh nearly scored on the play — a replay ruled he was on the 1-yard line — but Carter punched him in on the next play for what 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. “That’s how I want to feel every week. I know I’m not showing it now; I’m a little beat up and tired. But it feels great, especially knowing we didn’t win this game last year.”

    Live for today

    He paused after saying that, 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 at Iowa last year and Cooper DeJean’s backbreaking 70-yard punt return for a touchdown, the quarterback intervened.

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

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

    That will of course also be important this week. Sure, the Spartans have lost the last two to the Wolverines by a combined score of 78-7. That includes last year’s 49-0 shellacking at home, where 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. (Also, he doesn’t have Jay Johnson calling the plays for him.)

    Still, the big plays he made Saturday under pressure will be even more important next weekend in Ann Arbor, as Michigan’s defensive front will certainly be in its face more often than this Iowa defense was here. Likewise, Chiles knows he can’t make the unforced errors he made in the first half of this season. His eight interceptions and 15 turnover-worthy passes through six games ranked second-worst among FBS quarterbacks.

    Chiles nearly threw another pick on Michigan State’s second scoring drive, when safety Quinn Schulte outright dropped a late pass behind tight end Jack Velling at the Iowa 40. But he did throw one on the Spartans’ next possession.

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

    He showed it, completing 12 of his next 13 attempts and 18 of 21 overall the rest of the way. There were still some hiccups, including an intentional grounding penalty that head coach Jonathan Smith didn’t like.

    “But other than that, I thought it was lights out,” said Smith, who earned his first Big Ten home victory on Saturday. “He played, in my opinion, his best complete game tonight.”

    Perfect timing perhaps. Because I’m pretty sure the bright lights will seem even brighter next week.

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    @JohnNiyo

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