Bacher's status improving, but Kafka's getting ready

If No. 24 Northwestern had to face No. 11 Ohio State today, Mike Kafka might get his second consecutive start.

That doesn't come from Kafka. Nor does it come from Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald. That's simply deciphering senior quarterback C.J. Bacher's thoughts after he and Kafka split snaps during Wednesday morning's practice in Evanston.

"I'm running a little bit," Bacher said. "I'm not going full-speed yet. I'm going to try to go as fast as I can (Thursday).

"I'm just playing it by ear, and so is Mike. I'm just trying to prepare to play and whatever happens, happens."

"It's one day better," Fitzgerald said.

Bacher, who injured his right hamstring late in the Indiana game on Oct. 25, said the "pop" occurred midway through a quarterback run that ended with him diving for a first down.

"It popped when I cut upfield a lot earlier than (the dive)," Bacher said. "That's why I went down, because I couldn't really push off of it."

Though he clutched the hamstring repeatedly, Bacher stayed in for two more plays. The second was an interception in Indiana territory (he couldn't put much weight on his back foot and the ball floated) that short-circuited NU's best chance to make up its 21-19 deficit.

"I probably should have come out of the game," Bacher said. "But I was trying to tough it out and get us down the field and score."

Kafka's troubles: Junior quarterback Mike Kafka enjoys every aspect of his increased role with the team.

Except for the time wasted discussing his new celebrity status with the media.

The Big Ten's co-offensive player of the week was the last Wildcat to leave the practice field Wednesday because he had so many media duties.

He wanted to leave sooner to get a head start to class.

"It's a pretty big distraction," Kafka said without rancor. "I've just got to get into practice and get better every day, just got to take care of the football."

Kafka enjoyed a near-perfect afternoon at Minnesota, where he rushed for 217 yards and threw for 143 yards and 2 scores. After one of his few mistakes, an interception that the Gophers' Traye Simmons returned for a touchdown, the cameras caught Kafka smiling on the sidelines.

While ESPN analyst Andre Ware thought it unbecoming after such a miscue, Kafka said he was merely "flushing it" and getting ready for the next play. In addition to being a Northwestern trait, Kafka might have picked up that concept from his favorite quarterback: Brett Favre.

"He was a competitor, man," Kafka said. "Talk about a guy who, when he made a mistake - he threw the most interceptions of any quarterback - that's a guy who responded. He could come back and throw an 80-yard touchdown on the next play.

"I really look up to him and what he's done."

Fitz on the list: The Maxwell Football Club named Pat Fitzgerald as one of 15 semifinalists for its George Munger coach of the year award.

Fitzgerald joins Michigan State's Mark Dantonio, Minnesota's Tim Brewster and Penn State's Joe Paterno as Big Ten representatives on the list.