A closer look at three Wildcats seniors

It's tempting to spy the Senior Day game on the schedule - to envision the ritual of 23 Northwestern seniors going through their final game at Ryan Field - and frame it as the end of an era for those young men.

Then you look at it through the other end of the telescope. From the end the players use.

And while the battle for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk against Illinois (2:30 p.m., Big Ten Network) carries all sorts of import and emotional meaning, it's probably not the biggest day of all time.

For some Wildcats, it's not necessarily the biggest day of their weekend - and that's not to belittle Saturday's expected pageantry and majesty.

• Take senior wide receiver Eric Peterman, for example.

For someone who grew up far closer to Champaign than Evanston, Saturday's challenge resonates more for this downstate Riverton resident than some of his teammates.

"Playing against the instate rival coming from where I'm from, there's going to be a lot of personal issues on the line," Peterman said with a smile. "It's going to be a high-emotion, high-energy day."

Now let's sneak a peek at his jam-packed, color-coded Google Calendar.

You see, the Industrial Engineering major with the mathematical mind - who happens to have accrued 145 catches for 1,817 yards and 10 touchdowns while pursuing his education - wants to make his mark on the airline industry.

With the wizardly way he manipulates spreadsheets, pivot tables and other business tools, Peterman wants to use his skills to plot airline routes and maximize their efficiency and profitability.

Lo and behold, the airlines seem to think he's a natural for such a task.

The morning before the Illinois game, Peterman has a four-hour job interview scheduled with United Airlines.

On Monday, after he goes through a light workout with his teammates, he flies to Fort Worth, Texas, to prepare for a Tuesday-long meeting with American Airlines.

"I'm looking forward to it," Peterman said. "It's going to be a busy week."

• For senior defensive end Kevin Mims, it has been a busy 4½ years.

The Houston native nearly has his degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has adapted to married life (he wed former NU volleyball standout Courtnie Paulus in July).

He has endured two surgeries (shoulder and foot), been saddled with a back brace to correct a stress fracture, worn casts on his wrist - and been subjected to fellow defensive end Corey Wootton's wit.

Mims, as it turns out, hits the end of his career while playing his best ball. To explain why, coach Pat Fitzgerald called Mims a "technician."

That led his teammates to poke fun at him and Wootton to dub him "The Technician," which should be the last on the string of nicknames Mims earned during his time.

"I've been 'Tough Guy' because I get all serious for games," Mims said. "Now 'The Technician.' I don't have the physical talents that a John Gill or a Corey Wootton has. I'm not as strong and fast as them, so I've got to be a technician."

From Fitzgerald, the Hall of Fame linebacker who continually pokes fun at his own lack of athleticism, that's a major compliment.

"He doesn't freelance, he doesn't do his own thing," Fitzgerald said. "If we want his head on this side of (the offensive lineman), he puts his head there. If we want it on that side, he does it there.

"He just does what he's coached to do - and he does it with a ton of passion. He understands this is his last opportunity to play football."

• Then there's fifth-year quarterback C.J. Bacher, the co-captain who's in the midst of pursuing a master's degree in communications.

Though his injured right hamstring has yet to return to 100 percent, he returned to the lineup last week (after missing two games) to lead Northwestern to its first win at Michigan since 1995.

He envisions Saturday's game, as well as the Wildcats' to-be-determined bowl date, as carrying more meaning than simply the end of he and his classmates' college career.

"Every year, the seniors talk at the end-of-the-year banquet about trying to leave a legacy on the program and building a foundation," Bacher said. "They've done a great job of that every year, but this year we want to go out on a winning note and a positive note.

"Our goal at the beginning of the year was to win a bowl game, but we'll put our focus on the bowl game when we come to that.

"This game is the next step in the progression. Getting nine wins (for the first time since 1996) would be a huge step for this program."