Northwestern QB Aidan Chiles' injury shakes up clash against Iowa

The big Iowa -Northwestern matchup got a Friday surprise, one day before the Nov. 7 kickoff at Ryan Field (6:30 p.m., FOX). ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that star Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles, who had been listed as questionable on the first two injury reports of the week, will miss the game against the Hawkeyes with an upper-body injury. Nicco Marchiol, a left-handed transfer from West Virginia who has attempted one pass this season, is expected to make the start against an Iowa defense that ranks No. 4 nationally. The sudden move shifted the betting line. Iowa went from a 2½-point underdog to a 2½-point favorite as of early Friday afternoon. The 19th-ranked Hawkeyes (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten Conference) spoke earlier this week about wanting to atone for a poor 2024 performance against Chiles when he was with Michigan State and dominated Iowa, 32-20, in East Lansing. Chiles had been playing fantastic football, having thrown 13 touchdowns and rushed for 10 more with just one interception through eight games this fall. He has been the catalyst for Chip Kelly’s unique offense that catered to his dual-threat capabilities. And while it is seemingly a benefit for Iowa to face Northwestern (6-2, 3-2) without its star quarterback, it does throw a lot of preparations made all week into the trash can. While Northwestern probably won’t change its style of offense, Marchiol does bring a less-mobile presence to the field. But he does have experience. Marchiol started seven games during his four seasons at West Virginia, including the first four of 2025 before suffering a season-ending foot injury. He completed 66 of 98 passes (67.3%) for 720 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions last season while posting a 3-1 record for the Mountaineers. Iowa is coming off a 30-0 home shutout of then-No. 25 Wisconsin at Kinnick Stadium and needs to win its final four regular-season games to have a shot at the College Football Playoff. This bit of quarterback news would seem to help the cause, at least a little bit. Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has served for 32 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network. Chad is the 2023 INA Iowa Sports Columnist of the Year and NSMA Co-Sportswriter of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad's text-message group at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts . Follow @ChadLeistikow on X .