MSU's Chiles Grades his Week 1 Performance

Overall, Chiles' decision-making looked like the top thing that he had improved on from last season. It never looked like Chiles put the ball in any serious danger on any of his 23 passes, though most of those pass attempts were very safe plays.

Ultimately, it is actually Chiles' fourth consecutive game spanning back to last year without an interception. He now has an active streak of 125 pass attempts without a pick.

Chiles also looked pretty solid as a runner. The box score says he had eight yards on 10 carries, but Chiles was able to make things happen when he got in the open field, including one 26-yard scamper that turned third-and-2 into first-and-goal. With sacks taken out of his rushing stats, Chiles had six carries for 46 yards.

"I felt like I belonged," Chiles said about his comfort level after the game. "I felt like I was just ready to go. I could sit there in the pocket and throw the ball, I could escape when I had to escape, and I just felt like I was dictating the game. I felt like the game was under my control and went out there and played how I did."

Areas of Improvement

One of the main concerns is that we really didn't see Chiles and Michigan State complete a lot of downfield passes. Chiles attempted five passes that went 15+ yards through the air in the game and completed two of them, both of which were in the middle of the field.

But there were other opportunities that MSU left out there. There were two plays in particular where the connection wasn't made well downfield. One pass Chiles threw to Brandon Tullis just went past his outstretched arms, and there was another play where Chiles simply overthrew Chrishon McCray on a potential touchdown (in fairness, Chiles' improvisation is what made that a possibility).

Coach Jonathan Smith also said that he thought there were other times where receivers were open downfield, but Chiles didn't have the time to get the ball out.

The other problem for Chiles was the ball security. Fumbles were an issue last year, and he lost the ball twice on Friday night. Only one was lost, and that was when it was 23-0 and the game was essentially wrapped up, though.

Chiles' Grade for Himself: C+

"I could be better, C+," Chiles said when asked to grade himself on his performance. "There's things that I can work on. There's things that I need to work on and just continue to grow each week.

"But we didn't score, we didn't finish, and part of it is on me, so I'll take the blame. Yeah, C+."

Chiles and Michigan State will next be in action on Saturday, Sept. 6, against Boston College. That game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on NBC and streamed on Peacock.

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