Aidan Chiles throws to Joseph Himon II for 3 TDs, runs in 2, Northwestern routs Colorado 41-7

EVANSTON, Ill. -- — Aidan Chiles passed to Joseph Himon II for three touchdowns and ran in two himself to lead Northwestern to a 41-7 rout of Colorado on Saturday night. Chiles finished with 241 yards on 17-for-22 passing and upped his season total to seven TDs – four passing and three rushing — in his first two games with the Wildcats (2-0). Chiles, a senior, made 20 starts for Michigan State before joining Northwestern during the offseason. “There were some plays that certainly went off-script,” Northwestern coach David Braun said of his quarterback, “but his athleticism and his ability to keep the his eyes downfield, that's really hard to defend.” Himon caught an 18-yard pass for his first TD, then a 25-yarder and a 3-yard toss as Northwestern (2-0) pulled away on a rainy evening two days after it announced an extension of Braun’s contract through the 2031 season. In addition to 46 receiving yards, Himon, a graduate running back, added 28 on the ground. He has four TDs this season. Asked about his on-field connection with Himon, Chiles said “keep it open.” “We worked on it all week,” Chiles said. "We knew what we were gonna' get and we came out and executed. “There were things that we saw that we knew we could exploit," Chiles added. ”I've talked to the coach, like he's given me the reins, like that's my job. I'm supposed to drive the car to lead the team and that's what I'm here to do." Jackson Kleather kicked a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter and hit five extra-point attempts. Colorado’s Julian “JuJu” Lewis threw for 168 yards and a touchdown to Joseph Williams on 19 for 29 passing as the Buffaloes (2-1) suffered their first loss after edging Georgia Tech, then routing Championship Subdivision foe Weber State last week. Williams finished with 88 receiving yards and JaQuail Smith led the Buffaloes with 91 yards on the ground The Buffaloes committed three key turnovers – two fumbles, one interception – in the first half. Two led to quick Northwestern scores. The Wildcats led 21-0 at halftime. Chiles ran left on a 1-yard keeper with 43 second left in the first quarter to open the scoring. Micah Welch fumbled at the Colorado 44-yard line to let Northwestern start the drive. Lewis’ pass up the middle intended for Williams was intercepted by Braden Turner at the Colorado 40 midway through the second. Two plays later, Chiles hit a wide open Himon on the left side with an 18-yard pass to up the lead to 14-0. Damian Henderson II was stopped, getting only one yard, on a fourth-and-2 rush attempt at the NU 28 on the Buffaloes next drive. Chiles ran the ball in from the Colorado 3 for his second touchdown of the night with 59 seconds left in the half to extend it to 21-0. Williams took off alone down the right side for a 50-yard touchdown dash after taking Lewis’ pass at midfield on the fourth play of the second half to complete a quick 66-yard drive for the Buffaloes' first touchdown. The Wildcats and Chiles countered to make it 28-7 midway through the third when he found Himon again, this time with a pass up the middle. Chiles hit Himon with a 3-yard toss with 3:15 left in the third to extend it to 35-7. Yards don't matter Colorado posted 348 total yards (to Northwestern's 423) and narrowly lead in that stat at the half. Still Northwestern allowed only seven points. Braun pointed to a“bending-and-not breaking” element of his defense, and its ability to force and exploit turnovers. “Looking at yardage stats is for losers,” he said. “At the end of the day, it does not dictate winning.” Braun did say his team has plenty to “clean up,” including tackling better. The takeaway Colorado: The Buffaloes were hurt by the early turnovers before Lewis was intercepted again the fourth quarter. Northwestern: The Chiles-Himon combo was unstoppable, and Northwestern committed only one turnover. Saturday’s contest was the last played at 12,000-seat Martin Stadium, the Wildcats on-campus home since 2024. They’ll open the new 35,000-seat Ryan Field on Friday, Oct. 2 when they host Penn State. Up next Colorado: Opens its Big 12 schedule next Saturday at Baylor. Northwestern: Faces defending national champion Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana next Saturday to open its Big Ten schedule. ------ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here.