Aidan Chiles Named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week

EVANSTON, Ill. — After recording 302 total yards and five total touchdowns in a 42-14 win over Rutgers, Aidan Chiles earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors, the conference announced Monday.

This marks the second time that Chiles has been named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week this season. He was previously selected for the award on Sept. 21 after defeating Colorado. Chiles is one of three Big Ten players this season to win a weekly award twice this season, alongside Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith (Offensive) and Minnesota’s Luke Drzewiecki (Special Teams). 

Chiles is the first Northwestern player to win Offensive Player of the Week twice in a season since Kain Colter in 2012. The fourth-year quarterback is also the first Wildcat to win a weekly award twice in a season since safety Brandon Joseph in 2020 and the first Northwestern player to receive a weekly award twice in a career since punter Luke Akers (2022-2025).

Chiles previously won Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week once at Michigan State. Monday’s announcement brings him to three career Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week selections.

Against the Scarlet Knights, Chiles completed 76.0% of his passes (19-of-25) for 219 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. On the ground, he rushed for a career-high 83 yards and two touchdowns. Chiles is just the second Big Ten player to post these numbers in a conference game since 1995, joining Ohio State’s JT Barrett in 2015.

The fourth-year quarterback is the first Wildcat quarterback to record 3+ passing touchdowns and 2+ rushing touchdowns in a conference game since at least 1995. Chiles is the first Northwestern player to throw for 200+ yards and rush for 75+ yards since Dan Persa in 2010.

Chiles also had three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in Northwestern’s 41-7 victory over Colorado on Sept. 9. Chiles now possesses two of the three 3+ passing touchdown, 2+ rushing touchdown performances by a Wildcat since 1995, and he is the only player in the country to have two games of 3+ passing touchdowns and 2+ rushing touchdowns this season.

Amid Northwestern’s fast start versus Rutgers, Chiles accounted for 21 first-quarter points, becoming the first Wildcat quarterback since at least 1995 to account for 21+ points scored in the first quarter and the first Big Ten quarterback to contribute to 21+ points in the first quarter against a conference opponent since Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa in 2020.

Pro Football Focus named Chiles to its Big Ten Team of the Week for his performance, which earned a 92.1 grade — the highest grade by a power four quarterback in Week 8.

Chiles has rushed for a touchdown in seven consecutive games, the longest streak by a Northwestern player since Noah Herron in 2004. The Long Beach, Calif. native has accounted for 21 touchdowns this year, the most by a Wildcat quarterback since Thorson tallied 26 in 2018.

This season, Chiles has completed a Big Ten-best 71.3-percent of his passes, 1,617 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, 181 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He is just the second Big Ten player to reach these figures in a season since 1995, joining Northwestern’s very own Dan Persa (2010).

With Chiles under center, the Wildcats are averaging 34.7 points per game, the third-most across the first seven games of a season in program history. Northwestern is averaging 434.6 yards per game across the first seven games of the season, the fourth-best start in program history.

Northwestern travels to Oregon for a road test at Autzen Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on Peacock and NBCSN.