Recruiting needs: Northwestern Wildcats
January 16, 2009 by feed · Leave a Comment
Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
The skill positions will top Pat Fitzgerald's wish list as the Northwestern head coach wraps up a small recruiting class on the heels of a 9-4 season.
Northwestern loses its starting quarterback (C.J. Bacher), its top two running backs (Tyrell Sutton and Omar Conteh) and its top three wide receivers (Eric Peterman, Rasheed Ward and Ross Lane). Mike Kafka steps in at quarterback, but he'll be a senior. The Wildcats need another capable signal caller for 2010, and they think they've found one in commit Evan Watkins.
Running back will be the team's biggest need next fall, and the recruiting class could help. Sutton arrived four years ago as a true freshman and rushed for nearly 1,500 yards. Though undersized rising junior Stephen Simmons did a nice job in relief of Sutton this fall, Northwestern needs to stock up in the backfield.
The Wildcats return some capable possession-type wide receivers (Jeremy Ebert, Andrew Brewster), but adding a player who can stretch the field would be a big plus in this class.
On the defensive side, linebacker likely will be the top priority, as Northwestern loses two starters (Malcolm Arrington and Prince Kwateng). Fitzgerald has always recruited well to his former position and will look to add there. The defensive line loses two starters and another (star end Corey Wootton) after the 2009 season, so building depth up front is vital.
Northwestern also loses kicker Amado Villarreal, a two-year starter, and will award a scholarship to incoming recruit Jeff Budzien.
Final Big Ten injury report: Week 13
November 22, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
Courtesy of collegeinjuryreport.com and some of my own research.
ILLINOIS (at Northwestern)
- QB Eddie McGee, toe, probable
- LB Martez Wilson, out, suspension
- DT Josh Brent, knee, questionable
- RB Mikel LeShoure, jaw, questionable
- FB Rahkeem Smith, suspension, questionable
- S Garrett Edwards, shoulder, questionable
- OT Ryan Palmer, foot, questionable
- CB Miami Thomas, knee, out (season)
- DT Sirod Williams, knee, out (season)
INDIANA (at Purdue)
- RB Zach Davis-Walker, thumb, questionable
- S Jerimy Finch, ankle, questionable
- RB Bryan Payton, ankle, questionable
- CB Richard Council, knee, questionable
- LB Will Patterson, knee, questionable
- CB Richard Council, knee, doubtful
- OL Andrew McDonald, undisclosed, questionable
- S Nick Polk, knee, out (season)
- TE Brian Zematis, ankle, out (season)
- S Austin Thomas, knee, out (season)
- OL Dennis Zeigler, knee, out (season)
- CB Chris Phillips, knee, out (season)
IOWA (at Minnesota)
- OG Andy Kuempel, muscle pull, doubtful
- OL Wes Aeschliman, hip, out (season)
- S Harold Dalton, suspension, out
- TE Tony Moeaki, leg, questionable
- OL James Ferentz, suspension, out
MICHIGAN (at Ohio State)
- WR Zion Babb, dismissal, out (season)
- RB Sam McGuffie, shoulder/personal, questionable
- OT Stephen Schilling, knee, questionable
- RB Carlos Brown, foot, questionable
- WR Junior Hemingway, mononucleosis, out
- QB Steven Threet, shoulder, doubtful,
- LB Kevin Leach, ankle, questionable
- T Mark Huyge, ankle, out
- WR Terence Robinson, knee, doubtful
- S Brandon Smith, appendix, out (season)
- G Cory Zirbel, knee, out (season)
MICHIGAN STATE (at Penn State)
- WR Keshawn Martin, undisclosed, questionable
- CB Chris L. Rucker, leg, questionable
- WR Mark Dell, knee, questionable
- S Roderick Jenrette, personal, out (season)
MINNESOTA (vs. Iowa)
- WR Eric Decker, ankle, probable
- S Kyle Theret, leg, probable
- LB Lee Campbell, questionable, hamstring
- RB Duane Bennett, knee, out (season)
NORTHWESTERN (vs. Illinois)
- DT Corbin Bryant, knee, out (season)
- LB Malcolm Arrington, knee, out (season)
- QB Mike Kafka, concussion, probable
- DE Vince Browne, knee, out
- RB Omar Conteh, knee, out (season)
- TE/FB Drake Dunsmore, knee, out (season)
- DE Rejaie Johnson, shoulder, out (season)
- RB Tyrell Sutton, wrist, out
- CB Justan Vaughn, shoulder, out (season)
OHIO STATE (vs. Michigan)
- WR Ray Small, suspension, questionable
- CB Jermale Hines, leg, doubtful
- OL Ben Person, leg, out
- OL Connor Smith, undisclosed, questionable
- DE Curtis Terry, undisclosed, out (season)
- OL Mike Adams, ankle, out (season)
- OL J.B. Shugarts, shoulder, out (season)
- DE Lawrence Wilson, knee, out (season)
- CB Andre Amos, knee, out (season)
PENN STATE (vs. Michigan State)
- DE Josh Gaines, ankle, questionable
- OL Ako Poti, knee, out (season)
- DT Devon Still, ankle, out (season)
- RB Brent Carter, knee, out (season)
- OL Doug Klopacz, knee, out (season)
- DE Jerome Hayes, knee, out (season)
PURDUE (vs. Indiana)
- TE Kyle Adams, knee, doubtful
- LB Jason Werner, back, out
- OL Justin Pierce, groin, questionable
- OT Sean Sester, knee, probable
- G Eric Hedstrom, knee, probable
- QB Joey Elliott, shoulder, out (season)
- T Garrett Miller, knee, out (season)
- RB Jaycen Taylor, knee, out (season)
WISCONSIN (vs. Cal-Poly)
- T Eric Vanden Heuvel, foot, probable
- WR Kyle Jefferson, concussion, out
- TE Lance Kendricks, leg, out (season)
- WR Maurice Moore, leg, doubtful
- TE Travis Beckum, leg, out (season)
- DE Brendan Kelly, thumb, out (season)
- CB Aaron Henry, knee, out (season)
- DE Kirk DeCremer, back, out (season)
Final Big Ten injury report: Week 12
November 15, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
Courtesy of collegeinjuryreport.com and some of my own research. Michigan State has a bye this week.
ILLINOIS (vs. Ohio State)
- RB Mikel LeShoure, jaw, doubtful
- FB Rahkeem Smith, suspension, probable (suspension lifted)
- S Garrett Edwards, shoulder, questionable
- OT Xavier Fulton, shoulder, probable
- OT Ryan Palmer, foot, probable
- CB Miami Thomas, knee, out (season)
- DT Sirod Williams, knee, out (season)
INDIANA (at Penn State)
- RB Zach Davis-Walker, thumb, questionable
- S Jerimy Finch, ankle, questionable
- RB Bryan Payton, ankle, out
- QB Kellen Lewis, ankle, probable
- QB Ben Chappell, probable, head
- LB Will Patterson, knee, out
- CB Richard Council, knee, doubtful
- S Joe Kleinsmith, undisclosed, questionable
- OL Pete Saxon, undisclosed, questionable
- OL Mike Reiter, abdominal, questionable
- OL James Brewer, ankle, questionable
- OT Rodger Saffold, knee, probable
- OL Andrew McDonald, undisclosed, questionable
- S Nick Polk, knee, out (season)
- TE Brian Zematis, ankle, out (season)
- S Austin Thomas, knee, out (season)
- OL Dennis Zeigler, knee, out (season)
- CB Chris Phillips, knee, out (season)
IOWA (vs. Purdue)
- OG Andy Kuempel, muscle pull, doubtful
- OL Wes Aeschliman, hip, out (season)
- S Harold Dalton, suspension, out
- TE Tony Moeaki, leg, doubtful
- OL James Ferentz, out, suspension
MICHIGAN (vs. Northwestern)
- RB Brandon Minor, shoulder/wrist/ribs, doubtful
- RB Carlos Brown, foot, questionable
- OL David Molk, toe, probable
- WR Junior Hemingway, mononucleosis, out
- QB Steven Threet, concussion, probable
- LB Kevin Leach, ankle, questionable
- T Mark Huyge, ankle, questionable
- WR Terence Robinson, knee, questionable
- S Brandon Smith, appendix, out (season)
- G Cory Zirbel, knee, out (season)
MINNESOTA (at Wisconsin)
- WR Eric Decker, ankle, out
- RB Duane Bennett, knee, out (season)
NORTHWESTERN (at Michigan)
- LB Malcolm Arrington, knee, out (season)
- QB C.J. Bacher, hamstring, probable
- DE Vince Browne, knee, out
- RB Omar Conteh, knee, out (season)
- TE/FB Drake Dunsmore, knee, out (season)
- DE Rejaie Johnson, shoulder, out (season)
- RB Tyrell Sutton, wrist, out
- CB Justan Vaughn, shoulder, out (season)
OHIO STATE (at Illinois)
- WR Ray Small, out, suspension
- OL Ben Person, leg, out
- DE Thaddeus Gibson, ankle, probable
- DE Curtis Terry, undisclosed, out(season)
- OL Mike Adams, ankle, out (season)
- OL J.B. Shugarts, shoulder, doubtful
- DE Lawrence Wilson, knee, out (season)
- CB Andre Amos, knee, out (season)
PENN STATE (vs. Indiana)
- CB Drew Astorino, thumb, probable
- DE Josh Gaines, ankle, probable
- OL Ako Poti, knee, out (season)
- DT Devon Still, ankle, out (season)
- RB Brent Carter, knee, out (season)
- OL Doug Klopacz, knee, out (season)
- DE Jerome Hayes, knee, out (season)
PURDUE (at Iowa)
- QB Curtis Painter, shoulder, probable
- TE Kyle Adams, knee, doubtful
- LB Jason Werner, back, doubtful
- OL Justin Pierce, groin, questionable
- OT Sean Sester, knee, questionable
- G Eric Hedstrom, knee, questionable
- QB Joey Elliott, shoulder, out (season)
- T Garrett Miller, knee, out (season)
- RB Jaycen Taylor, knee, out (season)
WISCONSIN (vs. Minnesota)
- T Eric Vanden Heuvel, foot, doubtful
- LB Jaevery McFadden, concussion, probable
- TE Lance Kendricks, leg, out (season)
- WR Maurice Moore, leg, questionable
- TE Travis Beckum, leg, out (season)
- DE Brendan Kelly, thumb, out (season)
- CB Aaron Henry, knee, out (season)
- DE Kirk DeCremer, back, out (season)
Northwestern injury report: Bacher still probable
November 13, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
Northwestern just released its injury report for Saturday’s game at Michigan (ESPN2, noon ET), and for the second straight week, senior quarterback C.J. Bacher is listed as probable.
Bacher, who has been battling a right hamstring injury, sat out last week’s loss to Ohio State despite being labeled as probable on the injury report. But he participated more in practice this week and told reporters he’s healthy enough to play against the Wolverines. According to head coach Pat Fitzgerald, Bacher will reclaim his starting job when healthy.
Here’s the full report:
- LB Malcolm Arrington, knee, out (season)
- QB C.J. Bacher, hamstring, probable
- RB Omar Conteh, knee, out (season)
- TE/FB Drake Dunsmore, knee, out (season)
- DE Rejaie Johnson, shoulder, out (season)
- RB Tyrell Sutton, wrist, out
- CB Justan Vaughn, shoulder, out (season)
Northwestern’s Conteh out for season
November 10, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
Northwestern hasn’t endured an overwhelming number of injuries this season, but the Wildcats’ health hits have been particularly damaging.
Senior running back Omar Conteh is the latest key player lost for the season. Conteh sustained a left knee injury on a noncontact drill during practice Wednesday and underwent surgery Friday to repair a ligament. Conteh had moved into a starting role after Tyrell Sutton suffered a dislocated wrist Oct. 25 at Indiana and underwent surgery. Sutton could return for a bowl game.
To combat the depth issues in the backfield, head coach Pat Fitzgerald has moved freshman wide receiver Jeravin Matthews to running back. Sophomore Stephen Simmons will start Saturday at Michigan (ESPN2, noon ET), but Matthews, who has been used on kickoff returns, will be available in relief.
Fitzgerald also reiterated that senior quarterback C.J. Bacher will start when his injured right hamstring heals sufficiently. Bacher has missed the last two games but practiced all last week.
Michigan’s Threet, Minor questionable for Northwestern
November 10, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
Michigan quarterback Steven Threet and running back Brandon Minor are both listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against Northwestern (ESPN2, noon ET).
Threet, who has started eight games for the Wolverines, sat out last Saturday’s win at Minnesota and continues to be experiencing concussion-like symptoms. Head coach Rich Rodriguez said this morning that Threet is still having some headaches, and his status for Tuesday’s practice is unknown.
Minor, who has emerged as Michigan’s featured running back, left the Minnesota game with a shoulder injury. Rodriguez isn’t sure if Minor suffered a separation but said the junior has soreness in both his shoulder and ribs.
“He’s certainly not ready [to play] now,” Rodriguez said.
Freshmen Michael Shaw and Sam McGuffie, who is fine after leaving Saturday’s game with an injury, would handle the rushing load against Northwestern if Minor can’t play. Nick Sheridan would start at quarterback with Justin Feagin backing him up if Threet sits out again. Rodriguez said Threet and Sheridan will split snaps in practice this week if Threet’s health improves.
Northwestern also is dealing with injury issues in the offensive backfield. Quarterback C.J. Bacher has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury but could return this week. Third-string running back Stephen Simmons likely will make his second straight start in place of Omar Conteh (knee) and Tyrell Sutton (wrist).
OSU Faces QB Question With NU Wildcats
November 8, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
One quarterback is a veteran with a steady arm. The other is less experienced, and his scrambling ability gives the offense a different look.
Ohio State’s Todd Boeckman and Terrelle Pryor? Yes, them too.
The No. 12 Buckeyes settled on Pryor weeks ago. But now the defense faces a quarterback question, with Northwestern not saying who will lead its offense Saturday.
“I would expect that we would see them both,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. “I would expect the (Northwestern) coaches will do the best they can possibly do to utilize both the guys, at whatever mixture they need to have their best opportunity to move the football and score points.”
C.J. Bacher is Northwestern’s starter, a senior who is among the Big Ten leaders in total offense (third, 243 yards per game) and passing yards (fourth, 212.5). He’s led the Wildcats to a 7-2 record, their best in three years.
But with Bacher sidelined last weekend by a hamstring injury, Mike Kafka took over and rallied the Wildcats (3-2 Big Ten) to a 24-17 victory at Minnesota, their first against a ranked team since 2005. The junior rushed for 217 yards, a record for a Big Ten quarterback, and threw for another 143 yards directing Northwestern’s spread.
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said Bacher will start against the Buckeyes (7-2, 4-1) if he’s healthy, and Bacher was upgraded to probable after Thursday’s practice. But the Wildcats need Kafka’s mobility, too, especially after backup running back Omar Conteh was knocked out of this weekend’s game with a knee injury.
Leading rusher Tyrell Sutton is already out for the year with a wrist injury.
So who’s it going to be? Bacher? Kafka? Both?
“Obviously we’ll play to the young men’s strengths,” Fitzgerald said. “C.J. can run the ball better than people give him credit for, and Mike can throw better than people give him credit for. Both young men are very talented, and give us the opportunity to really run the offense the way that we think we can.”
No matter who’s under center, he won’t have an easy task. Ohio State leads the Big Ten in pass defense, and is third against the run. The Buckeyes have one of the best linebackers in the country in James Laurinaitis, and safety Kurt Coleman and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins have three interceptions each.
Ohio State’s offense has been spotty as Pryor develops as a passer, but the running game is strong behind running back Chris “Beanie” Wells.
Pryor is a phenom, a big, mobile quarterback out of the Vince Young mold. But he’s also a freshman, and he was despondent after the Oct. 25 loss to Penn State, saying he cost the Buckeyes the game and, possibly, a fourth straight Big Ten title.
It was Pryor’s fumble that set up Penn State’s go-ahead touchdown, and the Nittany Lions sealed the victory with a last-minute interception.
“This is going to be a great challenge for him. This is part of maturing as a person and as a football player,” tight end Rory Nicol said. “TP is going to be a great player, and we’ve totally got his back. He knows that. It’s time to move forward.
“It’ll be exciting to see how he bounces back,” Nicol added. “In his mind, I’m sure he’s got big things going on. He wants to have a big game.”
Wells hasn’t been as explosive as he was last year, missing three games with a foot injury. But he’s still averaging 112 yards rushing per game, and rumbled for 168 yards against Wisconsin.
He had only 55 yards on 22 carries against Penn State, but Tressel said Wells got in more practice time during Ohio State’s bye last week than he had the three weeks before that.
“This is going to be a huge challenge for us, the biggest challenge that we’ve had all year,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re going to have to play our cleanest and most effective game of the year for us to just compete to have an opportunity.”
That’s not just coach-speak, either.
Ohio State routed the Wildcats the past two seasons, winning by a combined score of 112-17. Actually, the whole “rivalry” has been lopsided, with the Buckeyes winning eight of the last nine meetings and all but 15 since the teams began playing back in 1913. One game was a tie.
There could be one good omen for Northwestern. Its one victory came in 2004, when Ohio State was coming back from its bye. The Buckeyes did not play last week.
The Buckeyes still have a slim chance at another outright conference title. But they have to win out and get help from Penn State and Michigan State, who play each other in the season finale.
Even if Penn State keeps winning, it would at least end up in the Rose Bowl. If the Nittany Lions make the BCS title game, Rose Bowl officials could opt to stay with a Big Ten team, as they did last year.
“We saw a little highlight today of the way they reacted to that win. That meant everything to them,” Nicol said of Northwestern’s 2004 victory. “And the way we walked off that field, kind of in embarrassment, just a terrible feeling. Unfortunately, we’ve felt it twice this year so far, and it’s on us to kind of go out with a bang.
“Let’s everybody recommit, and get this thing going the right way.”
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Open Thread: Nerdwestern
November 7, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
First, a note on the choice of graphic. Try to understand. There are two kinds of college football programs: jocks and nerds. We, as Ohio State Buckeyes, are jocks while Northwestern is a nerd. As a jock, it is our duty to give nerds like Northwestern a hard time. Besides, othering Northwestern as nerds is the only way to build up some kind of antipathy to them. Because, really, who hates Northwestern?
On topic, Ohio State football returns from the bye week to go on the road to Evanston as 11pt favorites to play the nerd school of the Big Ten. Further, it is only the Buckeyes’ second game in Evanston since the 2004 game that was kind of lame. Before that point, the Wildcats were winless against Ohio State since 1971, an impressive 24 game streak where the closest margin between the two came in the fabled 1979 season (16-7, in Ohio Stadium). It’s not Navy-Notre Dame, but it’s still one of the more one-sided series in college football.
Though that certainly doesn’t matter now. Lake the Posts — the premiere Northwestern blog and whose dedication to the Wildcats makes the rest of us look bad — ventured over to 11W and tried to assure fans that the Buckeyes put the fear of God in Northwestern fans. In general, the very thought of playing the Buckeyes has most Northwestern fans thinking that a 4 touchdown difference in the scoreboard would be a close game. Yet, given our struggles this season, the Buckeyes are in no position for bravado entering this Saturday (in spite of the previous nerd references and the ones to follow). For those Buckeye fans that love offense or remember most of the awesome elements of 2006, the run of play from the front five has been justifiable cause for seppuku. The Buckeyes have had three games this season where they didn’t register a touchdown on offense. Naturally, the Buckeyes lost two of those games. The lead actor in this painful offense has been the offensive line. Their struggles, especially on the perimeter, made the Ohio and Purdue games rather ugly. Their total awfulness in the USC and Penn State games may be some of the worst performances of any team in the 2008 season. Predictable playcalling and a gun-shy true freshman quarterback don’t help things either. Against Penn State, we see how all these elements can blend together to create a fail smoothie of soul-crushing disappointment. Going up against Northwestern’s defense won’t be much of an easier challenge for the Buckeyes front five either. They’re second in the Big Ten in sacks, made possible by the infusion of Mike Hankwitz (formerly of Wisconsin, and player for Bo in the 1969 atrocity) and stellar play from the front four on defense, particularly Corey Wootton. For those unfamiliar, Wootton is a 6′7 270lb defensive end (#99) and will probably be the guy you see torching Browning off the perimeter.
Fortunately for the Buckeyes’ defense, the Northwestern offense has been recently ravaged by injuries. The biggest news from that department to rock Northwestern was the injury to Omar Conteh announced just yesterday. This is doubly crappy for Northwestern since Conteh was the backup to Tyrell Sutton, the Akron product who will be out for the remainder of the season with a dislocated wrist. Stephen Simmons, a sophomore, is expected to get his first career start against the Buckeyes. If that name sounds familiar, it should. Simmons was the one who took the second half kickoff for six against Ohio State to get Northwestern’s lone score. There’s also a quarterback controversy (of sorts) between CJ Bacher, injured but the usual starter, and Mike Kafka, who led the Wildcats to victory last week against upstart Minnesota. Further, it was the manner by which Kafka led the Wildcats that makes this a troubling decision for Fitzgerald. Bacher set a school record for passing last season while Kafka set a school record for QB rushing last week (217 yards) and was effectively able to compensate for Tyrell Sutton’s absence. The Buckeyes should have an interest in which of these two nerds gets the start against the Buckeyes for two reasons. First, there’s the obvious Xs and Os stuff as Kafka’s presence will force contain priorities on some players on defense. Second, the backup nerd will probably round up some other nerds on the team, steal some liquid heat and raise hell on the Buckeyes’ jockstraps.
The Buckeyes have much better talent than Northwestern, an advantage afforded to them by the nature of recruiting these days. While lingering execution and planning issues compromise the Buckeyes’ ability to make good on talent discrepancies, Buckeye fans across the board appear to be expecting a Buckeye victory on that merit alone. This is a justifiable sentiment considering the Beanie. Penn State game aside (11 Penn State defenders on one Beanie), there is no tackling the Beanie. So how well does our offensive line create holes for him? It decides every game and it’ll decide this one. I’ll shy away from any further predictions on top of that considering the run of play recently and that conference road games are, ceteris paribus, the most difficult games to play. The Buckeyes have had two weeks to prepare for this one, but bye weeks aren’t very good predictors for wins under Jim Tressel. Weather should be a factor, which may drydock Terrelle Pryor if Beanie is able to carry the offense. It may also be punitive if Northwestern’s improved defense is able to force Terrelle to throw. However it pans out, I’ll be upset if we don’t see any Buckeye Pistol against Northwestern… one of the most puzzling elements of the Penn State game. Kickoff is at noon on ESPN2, with Andre Ware and that other dude calling the game.
…
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Hey pal, did you get a load of the nerd?
Conteh out, Bacher probable for Northwestern
November 6, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
Injuries continue to hit Northwestern at key positions, as senior running back Omar Conteh will miss Saturday’s game against No. 11 Ohio State with a knee injury. Conteh was inserted into a starting role last week after leading rusher Tyrell Sutton sustained a dislocated wrist Oct. 25 at Indiana.
Conteh’s injury occurred during a noncontact drill at Wednesday’s practice. It doesn’t appear to be season ending, but sophomore Stephen Simmons is expected to make his first career start against Ohio State.
“While we’re disappointed for Omar, we’re excited for the next man’s opportunity, in this case Stephen Simmons, Jacob Schmidt and Scott Concannon,” head coach Pat Fitzgerald said in a statement. “Our players are prepared to step up and fill in at running back.”
There was some good news on the Wildcats injury front, as starting quarterback C.J. Bacher has been upgraded to probable for the game with a hamstring injury. Fitzgerald said Bacher would start if healthy, though junior Mike Kafka remains part of the plan after an excellent performance at Minnesota.
Conteh struggled last week, rushing for only 12 yards on 12 carries. Simmons gives Northwestern more speed but much less experience in the backfield.
Northwestern’s full injury report is below.
- LB Malcolm Arrington, knee, out (season)
- QB C.J. Bacher, hamstring, probable
- DE Vince Browne, knee, out
- RB Omar Conteh, knee, out
- TE/FB Drake Dunsmore, knee, out (season)
- DE Rejaie Johnson, shoulder, out (season)
- RB Tyrell Sutton, wrist, out
- CB Justan Vaughn, shoulder, out (season)
Kafka takes opportunity and runs with it
November 1, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
MINNEAPOLIS — Pat Fitzgerald’s first significant decision as Northwestern’s head coach came on Aug. 28, 2006, when he named Mike Kafka the team’s starting quarterback.
Kafka went on to start the first four games of a star-crossed season for Northwestern, which struggled to bounce back after the sudden death of head coach Randy Walker earlier in the summer. The Wildcats went 2-2 with Kafka at the helm, but a hamstring injury against Nevada sent the freshman to the sidelines.
He remained backstage until Saturday.
Starting quarterback C.J. Bacher had sustained a hamstring injury a week earlier at Indiana, and though Bacher was available for the game against No. 17 Minnesota, Fitzgerald and his staff decided after Wednesday’s practice that Kafka would get the start.
Consider: Since the Nevada game in 2006, Kafka had completed 8 of 14 passes for 38 yards and no touchdowns.
“You’re a play away,” Fitzgerald had continued to remind him. “You don’t know when that opportunity’s going to arise. All you control is if you’re ready or not. And if you’re ready, you go out there and take advantage of the opportunity. If you’re not, you get exposed. That’s the great thing about football, and it mimics life.
“We all get opportunities in life. Either we’re ready for them or we’re not.”
Kafka was ready Saturday, and his performance helped Northwestern to a 24-17 upset of Minnesota. The 6-3, 210-pound junior shattered a school record for quarterback rushing with 217 yards and also threw two touchdown passes to go along with two interceptions.