It was home sweet home for Northwestern’s second game at New Ryan Field. The Wildcats (4-1, 1-1 B1G) faced the Ball State Cardinals (1-5, 0-2 MAC), beating them 45–14 in a dominant homecoming weekend win.

It was a great day for Northwestern’s passing offense, which took a backseat in last week’s 34-13 win against Penn State.

Fourth-year quarterback Aidan Chiles went 17 for 23, throwing for 272 yards and three touchdowns. Third-year receiver Drew Wagner had his best game of the season with 61 yards on 4 receptions, while fourth-year wideout Griffin Wilde also had a stellar game, exploding for 144 receiving yards, with 125 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone. Graduate tight end Alex Honig also made a gravity-defying toe-tap catch in the third quarter.

Throughout the game, Chiles continued to show he could threaten defenses with intermediate and deep passes, and continue to use his legs to extend plays under pressure.

“Aidan’s ability, when things break down to extend plays with his feet, is a critical piece of what we’re doing,” head coach David Braun said. “You don’t necessarily want that, but not everything is going to be perfect.”

While the run game was quieter than last week’s 413-yard performance and the offensive line was less dominant, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly continued to scheme open big runs with pre-snap motions and heavy-set formations.

Chiles, graduate running backs Gavin Sawchuk and Joseph Himon II and redshirt third-year running back Caleb Komolafe each ripped off runs of 15 yards or more. A big 41-yard run by Himon helped ignite the offense on the first drive while Chiles and Komolafe also both punched in a touchdown in the first quarter.

“The number of productive guys we have on this team, like Drew Wagner in the endzone, Joe Himon explosive as always, Alex Honig, Luke Dehnicke; the amount of options that we have just creates so much explosiveness for this offense,” Wilde said.

On special teams, fourth-year Jackson Kleather’s 52-yard field goal in the second quarter was not just his season long, but the second-longest field goal in Northwestern history.

On defense, the front seven was able to limit the Cardinals to 90 yards on the ground and sacked Ball State’s fourth-year quarterback Keldrick Luster twice. Graduate linebacker Braydon Brus continued his momentum from last week, flying across the field to make four tackles for loss. Fourth-year defensive back Robert Fitzgerald was also a major playmaker with a big pick-six interception in the second quarter.

Despite the win, the team may also be left with some big questions.

At times, the pass defense struggled to contain Ball State’s quick pass game, which capitalized on missed tackles in the open field during the second quarter. Other than his interception, Luster was solid in the first half through the air, passing 16 for 23 for 159 yards and leading the Cardinals to multiple long drives down the field.

“We learned a really hard lesson in the second quarter,” Braun said. “I think there was a level of complacency, almost a sense of this stupor of thinking that [the success of the first quarter] was just going to continue without the urgency and focus that is required to execute at a high level.”

After the half, the Wildcats were able to tighten up in coverage, limiting Ball State to just 31 passing yards in the third quarter.

Off the field, attendance at the game seemed like a far cry from the turnout at the stadium opener, with a noticeable number of empty seats and a Wildcat Wall that quickly dissolved during halftime. That trend will be tested with important Big Ten home games down the line against Iowa and Illinois.

The team must answer these questions if they want to prove that Northwestern can be a contender in the Big Ten and College Football Playoff race, embracing a new identity as a “football school.”

However, if the defense can continue to make big plays when it matters and Kelly’s offense can stay a balanced, constant threat, it’s hard to put a limit on what the ’Cats can do.

The Wildcats will now travel to East Lansing to face the Michigan State Spartans on Oct. 17.