NU QB Kafka says he expects to face Iowa

Right about this time last season, Northwestern quarterback C.J. Bacher injured his right hamstring on a broken-field run.

Two days after the injury, NU coach Pat Fitzgerald termed Bacher "questionable."

Three days after the injury, when Bacher walked around practice without much of a limp, Fitzgerald said, "I've got to see how everything goes today, but he felt better than he did yesterday."

Bacher wound up missing two full games rehabbing his injury, which gave backup Mike Kafka the chance to gain valuable experience (and to pull off a road upset over nationally ranked Minnesota).

Now let's return to the present day and the left-hamstring injury that knocked Kafka out of Saturday's loss to No. 12 Penn State.

On Monday, Fitzgerald described Kafka's status thusly: "He's feeling better today than he did yesterday. He felt better Sunday than he did Saturday."

While that phrase sounds awfully familiar to last year's diagnosis, Fitzgerald sounds a little more optimistic about Kafka as the Wildcats begin to prepare for their trip to No. 4 Iowa.

"We expect him to go through some things tomorrow in practice," Fitzgerald said. "He'll be day to day, but at this point we expect Mike to play."

"My mind-set's going in that I'm going in and playing," said Kafka, who walked with a trace of a limp. "It feels pretty good. Tomorrow I'll run around a little bit on it and see how it feels and kind of take it day by day. And Wednesday do a little bit more where on Saturday it feels pretty good."

Even if Kafka recovers in time to start against the undefeated Hawkeyes, redshirt sophomore Dan Persa, who played the last two-plus quarters against Penn State, will get the majority of the prep time.

Persa, in his first lengthy collegiate test, completed 14 of 23 passes for 115 yards while running 14 times for 42 yards. He took 4 sacks, including 1 where he lost a fumble in the red zone near game's end.

Nonetheless, the coaching staff named Persa as the team's Offensive Big Playmaker as he posted a 27-yard scramble and a 20-yard completion to running back Scott Concannon.

"Danny can make all the throws," Fitzgerald said. "There's no question he's a perfect fit for our offense - a true dual-threat quarterback. He understands the concepts we're trying to do.

"If it's Danny's opportunity, he's going to be ready. If not and he's coming out of the bullpen, hopefully he steps up like (Mariano) Rivera."

More line shakeups? Northwestern will hold position battles at both guard spots during practice this week.

Incumbent right guard Doug Bartels, who has started the last 18 games, is listed with former starting left guard Desmond Taylor as an either/or choice.

At left guard, where Keegan Grant has started the last three games, redshirt freshman Brian Mulroe has forged an either/or situation.

It has been a swift rise for Mulroe, the Loyola Academy graduate who made his college debut last week in a relief role and false-started on his first snap.

"Not bad," coach Pat Fitzgerald said with a smile. "It can only get better from there, right? That's what we told him when he came off (the field)."

Mulroe ran at first-string guard during spring ball before injuring his shoulder. He was cleared to start playing just two weeks ago.

McManis back? Coach Pat Fitzgerald noted that senior cornerback Sherrick McManis, who has missed the equivalent of four games with a quadriceps injury, ran around Monday.

"Hopefully we'll get both (McManis and Mike Kafka) ready to go for Saturday," Fitzgerald said.