MSU's Chiles' Ball Protection Will Be Put to the Test vs. Iowa
This season, the biggest story for the Michigan State Spartans has been quarterback Aidan Chiles’ inability to protect the football.
Chiles has thrown eight interceptions and lost three fumbles in six games this season. He is tied for the third-most interceptions in college football this season.
Michigan State has shown promise on drives, but Chiles’ youth and inexperience bite them in the rear. All that promise ends up being for naught as Chiles doesn’t set his feet or tries to go for a home run ball instead of taking his layups.
Now, trying to avoid a fourth straight loss, the Spartans welcome the Iowa Hawkeyes to Spartan Stadium. The Hawkeyes have had one of the best defenses in the nation, seemingly since the sport of football was invented.
Not only are they an elite defense, but they are predicated on forcing turnovers. The Hawkeyes have a turnover margin of +6, one of the highest marks in the Big Ten.
While Chiles has struggled, he has earned the respect of several legendary coaches, including Nick Saban and Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz.
“You have to stick with your position and stick with your responsibilities, and if you’re in the back end, you can’t be coming up out of coverage because a guy looks like he’s pulling it down because he can do both,” Ferentz said about Chiles’ offensive versatility at a press conference this week.
Ferentz also praised Chiles’ captaincy at such a young age.
“To be voted as a captain as a newcomer is pretty impressive,” he said. “It tells you a lot about the way he carries himself.”
Ferentz knows what Chiles is capable of with the ball in his hands.
“We got to watch him when we were preparing for Ohio State; that’s the first time we saw him,” he said. “He’s a really dangerous player. He can hurt you in a couple different ways.”
Chiles goes up against a Hawkeyes defense that has forced seven interceptions this season.
If the Spartans want to pull off the home victory and stop their losing streak, it is up to Chiles to keep the ball out of harm’s way and make plays through the air and on the ground.
Ferentz’s Hawkeyes will certainly throw everything they can at Chiles to stop him.
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