Aidan Chiles throws for TD in debut as Northwestern rallies past FCS South Dakota State 34-18

Aidan Chiles threw for 273 yards and a touchdown in his debut, and Northwestern pulled away late to top FCS South Dakota State 34-18 on Saturday nightBySCOTT HELD AP sports writerSeptember 5, 2026, 11:38 PMEVANSTON, Ill. -- Aidan Chiles threw for 273 yards and a touchdown in his debut, and Northwestern pulled away late to top FCS South Dakota State 34-18 on Saturday night.Chiles, who made 20 starts for Michigan State before joining the Wildcats during the offseason, made it a two-possession game with a 14-yard draw-play touchdown with 4:34 to go.South Dakota State’s (1-1) Josiah Johnson scored with 8:16 left to cut the lead to 20-18, but a two-point try failed. Northwestern took the kickoff and burned off almost four minutes before Chiles scored. Joseph Himon II (four carries, 87 yards) took off for an 80-yard touchdown run with 1:14 left to widen the final score.The Wildcats’ defense gave up 438 yards but kept the Jackrabbits out of the end zone on six of seven trips inside their 25-yard line.Chiles hit Griffin Wilde with a 71-yard pass on his first play from scrimmage, then found Alex Honing with an 11-yard touchdown pass less than four minutes into the game to give the hosts a lead they never lost.Caleb Komolafe had a short touchdown run midway through the third quarter for the Wildcats, who’ve won four straight home openers.Chase Mason was 23 for 48 for 285 yards with an interception for the Jackrabbits. Johnson had 79 yards on 19 carries and Tristan Alvano had four field goals.South Dakota State drove deep into Northwestern territory twice in the second quarter but had to settle for a pair of Alvano field goals and trailed 10-6 at intermission.Popular ReadsSouth Dakota State: Give Northwestern’s defense credit, but the Jackrabbits had seven drives deep into the hosts’ territory but came away with just one touchdown. The loss left the program 2-12 against FBS opponents.Northwestern: Former Oregon and NFL coach Chip Kelly is the new offensive coordinator, and his unit amassed almost 500 yards Saturday night. The Wildcats have just one more game to keep fine-tuning before a Sept. 25 trip to reigning national champion Indiana.The Jackrabbits host New Haven on Sept. 12.The Wildcats get an early bye next weekend and welcome Colorado on Sept. 19.___Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage hereSponsored Content by Taboola