Kafka to Gophers: Catch me if you can

Senior quarterback Mike Kafka would be the last guy in a Northwestern uniform to say something inflammatory through the media.

True to his role as coach Pat Fitzgerald's lieutenant on offense, Kafka follows the program's script that reads long on enthusiasm and positivity and short on ad-libbing and smack talk.

Yet Kafka all but begged on Monday for Minnesota to place a virtual target on his No. 13 jersey.

You see, Kafka set a Big Ten single-game record for a quarterback when he rushed for 217 yards in NU's 24-17 win last season at the Metrodome.

He wants the Gophers to overemphasize that memory when they show up at Ryan Field on Saturday (11 a.m., BTN) for both teams' Big Ten opener.

"I hope so," Kafka said. "Because then I think that's going to open up a lot of spots for guys like (superback) Drake (Dunsmore) and (flanker) Andrew Brewer and our receiving corps and our running backs.

"I think that'll open up a lot of holes for them to make plays. So, yeah, I hope they come after me."

Kafka deserves to be confident in Northwestern's passing game after last week's display at Syracuse.

He shared the Big Ten's offensive player of the week honors after completing 35 of 42 passes for 390 yards and 3 touchdowns - all of those numbers serving as career-bests.

If he could rewind the 37-34 loss to the Orangemen, there'd only be two plays worth revoking - his first and his last.

Kafka fumbled while getting sacked on Northwestern's opening play as he didn't get rid of the ball immediately as designed.

"(Syracuse) came out and gave a little different look to (an) empty (backfield) than they had showed on tape," Fitzgerald said. "We're in our cut protection and a guy dropped out and then (blitzed) late.

"They were in man-free coverage, (so) throw it away and come off the concept. We just hadn't seen it. Now, we saw it later, we picked it up and it was a non-play."

On Northwestern's final play, the Wildcats faced third-and-10 on Syracuse's 47 with 1:05 left in a tie game.

Kafka looked like he wanted to throw quickly after receiving the shotgun snap, but patted the ball and wound up trying to thread the needle on a 15-yard sideline pass to Demetrius Fields.

Syracuse safety Pat Sutor stepped in to intercept and returned it far enough that the Orange needed just one first down to get in position for their game-winning field goal.

"It was a little late on my part," Kafka said. "So maybe if I threw it earlier or threw it away, it would have saved (the interception) and just played the next play."

• Northwestern's basketball team picked up its most prestigious recruiting commitment of the Bill Carmody era.

Six-foot-4 Jershon Cobb, a swingman from Decatur, Ga., committed to the Wildcats after visiting Evanston over the weekend.

According to Rivals.com, the Columbia High School senior is a four-star prospect who ranks No. 90 nationally in the Class of 2010.

To put that into perspective, Illinois commit Crandall Head ranks No. 81 per Rivals.

According to Scout.com, the three-star prospect also had offers from Auburn, Boston College, South Florida and VCU.

For more information on Cobb, Northwestern's recruiting efforts in Georgia and the team's Monday workout, please click on the Joe Sports blog (http://blogs.dailyherald.com/blog/365)