NU's recruiting pipeline to Houston quite impressive

If Northwestern ever opens a satellite campus, it might benefit the football program most if it's located in, oh, Texas.

Houston, to be precise.

Over the last 10 years, Northwestern has discovered an abnormally high percentage of its recruits in the greater Astrodome area.

"Houston has been an outstanding pipeline for us in recruiting," said NU coach Pat Fitzgerald, who had Houston as part of his territory when he was an assistant. "We've had anywhere from four to nine players from the city of Houston on our club."

Starting cornerback Justan Vaughn and four second-stringers - including true freshmen Venric Mark and Will Hampton - comprise NU's current contingent that can't wait to play Saturday at Rice (6 p.m., no TV).

That's a pretty impressive ratio when you consider Northwestern boasts just 11 scholarship players from the Chicago area on this week's depth chart.

Recent NU alums from Houston include center Trevor Rees, safety Herschel Henderson, running back Omar Conteh, defensive ends Kevin Mims and David Ngene and receivers Jonathan Fields and Roger Jordan.

How has this happened? Fitzgerald credits former receivers coach Howard Feggins for installing the pipeline and fifth-year linebackers coach Randy Bates for maintaining it.

"No. 1, we're in the Central time zone, so it's a two-hour (and) couple-minute flight," Fitzgerald said. "A lot of easy ways for people to get up here. The Big Ten Network has helped a lot. All of our games are on down in Houston.

"You watch the young people on tape down there, the football down there is outstanding. The coaches are outstanding. The young men have great grades. They're a great fit to our program."

Clearly NU has forged relationships with Houston's coaches. Fitzgerald said Cy Creek's Greg McCaig, Will Hampton's coach, and his staff has flown to Evanston to take part in NU's coaching clinics.

The heat is on: When Northwestern practiced for the Outback Bowl last December, Pat Fitzgerald asked for the temperature inside NU's indoor practice facility to be cranked into the low 90s.

"And I don't think it got over 75 (in Tampa) when we were down there the whole time," Fitzgerald said.

Rather than hope for more such weather luck this week, Fitzgerald plans to move practice indoors Wednesday and Thursday and ring up another high heating bill.

This figures to be money better-spent.

The long-range forecast shows Saturday's weather at Rice Stadium will be a high of 88 degrees with 74 percent humidity.

"Who knows?" Fitzgerald said. "We may have to slow it down on our offense. I'm not sure. It's a big concern."

Mr. efficiency: Dan Persa is one-sixth of the way toward becoming the nation's next Tim Tebow ... or should we say Sam Bradford?

Persa leads the country in pass efficiency with a 212.06 rating. He owns the top spot largely due to his national-best 86.4 completion rate and his 5-to-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Tebow claimed last year's pass-efficiency title (164.17) while leading Florida to the BCS title game.

Bradford, the first overall pick in the NFL draft, led the nation in 2007 and 2008 while piloting Oklahoma to a BCS title game.

Color Persa unimpressed by his status.

"It's still early," he said. "I think if it was at the end of the season, it'd be something special. Our receivers and O-line are doing a great job and I'm kind of the beneficiary of that."

He said it: Northwestern center Ben Burkett earned the team's offensive player of the game award after registering 10 knockdown blocks against Illinois State.

The low-key junior, who has started 28 straight games, agreed the line played better as a unit than in the opener at Vanderbilt:

"Yes," he said. "Especially coming off of last week, which was fairly embarrassing."