Kafka leads Northwestern over Towson 47-14

Mike Kafka insisted he wasn't trying to silence his critics, even if he made a rather loud statement.

"We just took what the defense gave us," he said.

Which was quite a bit.

Kafka led three touchdown drives in the first quarter and passed for a career-high 192 yards to lead Northwestern to a 47-14 victory over Towson on Saturday.

Andrew Brewer added a career-high 145 yards receiving, including a 72-yard touchdown, and the Wildcats (1-0) got off to a strong start after going 9-4 last season. Expectations are higher now. They hope to compete for the Big Ten title after reaching the Alamo Bowl last year.

Well, how's this for a start?

They scored touchdowns on their first four possessions, got a safety while building a 30-0 lead and never looked back. Towson simply was no match, which was no surprise.

The Tigers (0-1) switched coaches last season after a 3-9 finish, firing Gordy Combs and hiring Rob Ambrose off Connecticut's staff, and they were playing a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent for just the second time.

The Wildcats basically got what they wanted -- a glorified tuneup against a Football Championship Subdivision team.

"We're as competitively deep as we've ever been," said coach Pat Fitzgerald, in his fourth season. "And when you've got that kind of competition, the best way to motivate guys is to give them an opportunity to play. ... That's a great position to be in as a coach, where you've got competition every day on the practice field to earn a role."

They faced little competition from Towson.

Kafka was 15 of 20 and did not get picked off. His lone mistake was when he overthrew a wide-open Jeravin Matthews on what might have been a 56-yard touchdown on the third possession. Otherwise, it wasn't a bad afternoon for a senior facing a blitz of questions about his passing ability.

A year ago, Kafka made two starts and finished the season with almost as many yards rushing (321) as passing (330) while throwing more interceptions (three) than touchdowns (two). He worked over the summer with former Northwestern starter Brett Basanez, now with the Chicago Bears, and the results look promising.

Brewer, a senior, caught six passes -- including his first career TD reception -- while easily passing his previous high of 48 yards. Stephen Simmons ran for 77 yards. Freshman Arby Fields added 48 yards and two touchdowns but spent most of the second half on the sideline because of cramping.

Although one game certainly doesn't answer all the questions surrounding the Northwestern offense, this was a good start for a unit that lost running back Tyrell Sutton along with quarterback C.J. Bacher and the top three receivers from last season.

The defense is expected to be the team's strength, and that unit did its part, holding Towson to 205 yards even though defensive end Corey Wootton was quiet in his limited time.

A first-team all-conference pick last season, he was eyeing a jump to the NFL until he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee late in the Alamo Bowl. The Wildcats went on to lose in overtime to Missouri, a bitter finish to their first nine-win season since 1996. Now they're looking for their first conference title in nine years.

They certainly were locked in against Towson.

Three years ago, New Hampshire came in and left with a 34-17 victory in the first game at Ryan Field since the death of coach Randy Walker. This time, it was clear from the start Northwestern wasn't about to lose to another Colonial Athletic Association opponent.

And when Dan Persa found Brewer deep over the middle against an all-out blitz, that made it 28-0 early in the second quarter.

"They played us man and blitzed the house," said Brewer, who switched from quarterback to receiver in 2006. "He threw a great ball. Thanks to Persa for taking it on the lips."

The only downer for Northwestern was losing Matthews, a backup running back, to an ankle injury late in the first half.

For Towson, freshman Peter Athens completed 15 of 25 passes for 140 yards. He threw a touchdown pass but was intercepted twice, and Ambrose would not declare him the winner in the competition with fellow freshmen Brian Potts and Tommy Chroniger.

"He is not going to be the solidified starter unless I evaluate something off the film and we come up with an answer that just says he's done so well," Ambrose said. "My instincts say, 'No, we're still a work in progress.' "