Northwestern 45, Ball State 14: Aidan Chiles accounts for four touchdowns

Aidan Chiles had a hand in four of Northwestern's six touchdowns, and the Wildcats beat Ball State 45-14 at Ryan Field on Saturday. Chiles completed 17 of 23 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns and ran one in himself. Northwestern led 21-0 early in the second quarter and was never threatened.

The Wildcats move to 4-1. Ball State falls to 1-5. Full odds history is on the game page.

How it was won

Northwestern scored on its first three possessions that reached the end zone. Chiles opened with a 1-yard run at 11:42 of the first quarter, then hit Griffin Wilde for a 19-yard touchdown at 3:07. Caleb Komolafe made it 21-0 with a 14-yard run at 10:52 of the second quarter.

Ball State answered at 8:20 when TJ Horton ran in from 1 yard, with Brody Boehm adding the kick. Northwestern then took the rest of the half. Jackson Kleather hit a 52-yard field goal at 4:47, and at 3:04 Robert Fitzgerald returned an interception 15 yards for a touchdown. That pick was Ball State's only turnover of the day, and it turned a 24-7 game into 31-7.

Ball State scored again before the break, Keldric Luster finding Jamarion McDougle for 2 yards with 12 seconds left. It was 31-14 at half.

The third quarter belonged to Chiles. He found Drew Wagner for 12 yards at 10:12 and Alex Honig for 32 yards at 0:53. Kleather made all six extra points. Neither team scored in the fourth.

The box score was closer than the scoreboard. Ball State held the ball for 33:59 to Northwestern's 26:01 and finished with 360 total yards and 22 first downs. Luster went 27 of 41 for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Jabari Smith caught 7 passes for 64 yards and Donovan Hamilton had 2 for 53. But Ball State converted only 5 of 17 third downs and ran for just 90 yards; Ace Cooper and Johnny Thompson Jr. each finished with 15.

Northwestern was efficient where Ball State was not. The Wildcats gained 436 yards, 272 through the air and 164 on the ground, went 4 of 9 on third down and did not turn the ball over. Wilde was the main target, with 8 catches for 144 yards. Wagner added 4 for 61. Komolafe ran 8 times for 44 yards and Joseph Himon II had 42 on 3 carries.

Against the number

Northwestern closed as a 34.5-point favorite. The 31-point margin left Ball State with the cover; the scoreless fourth quarter kept the Wildcats short of the number.

The total closed at 53.5 and the teams combined for 59, so the over came in. It was effectively settled by halftime at 45 points, with the third-quarter scores pushing it through.

On the moneyline, Northwestern closed at -100000 and Ball State at +5000. The market saw no realistic path for the visitors, and none appeared.

What's next

Northwestern travels to Michigan State on Saturday, October 17, on Peacock. The Wildcats have won three of their last four, including a 34-13 win over Penn State, with the only loss coming 29-23 at No. 5 Indiana.

Ball State, at 1-5, moves on from a game in which it moved the ball but could not finish drives. Its next opponent was not part of the information available for this report.