Northwestern turns to rotating QBs while Persa fights to regain old form

Perhaps the pivotal play in Northwestern’s 41-31 loss at Iowa occurred in the first quarter.

The Wildcats had first-and-goal at the Iowa 7-yard line when quarterback Dan Persa dropped back and did something that used to come easily for him — scramble to avoid pressure.

But this time, Persa couldn’t make anything happen with his feet. Then when he tried to throw the ball away, he was hit on the release and Iowa’s Tanner Miller turned it into a 98-yard interception return. Instead of Northwestern taking a 7-3 lead, the Wildcats trailed 10-0.

Last year, Persa brought an impressive combination of wheels and accurate arm to the field. After recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, his style of play may need some adjustment.

“Obviously, I’m not as fast as I was last year,” Persa said Monday. “I think it’s just adapting a new skill set. I used to be able to run around pretty well. Now I can’t do it as much as I want to.”

Persa woke up the next morning and shaved his shaggy hair into a buzz cut. That’s one way to get faster — eliminate some extra weight.

Asked for an explanation, Persa first joked that it was a head lice issue. A sense of humor is vital when enduring a four-game losing streak.

“I woke up on Sunday and felt like shaving it,” he finally admitted.

At the start of the season, Northwestern produced an expensive campaign hyping Persa for the Heisman Trophy. Now Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald is rotating his quarterbacks. Backup QB Kain Colter has great speed and was NU’s top rusher with 76 yards against Iowa. He also had 71 receiving yards while lining up as a wideout.

“First of all, the guy is a playmaker. You’ve got to get that kind of athlete on the field,” Fitzgerald said of Colter. “We’re trying to get our best 11 players on the field.”

One thing to keep in mind is despite the costly interception, Persa had a strong game on Saturday. He completed 31 of 40 passes for 246 yards.

Persa has three starts under his belt since returning from the Achilles injury. As time passes, he could easily return to the dual-threat form that made him a first-team All-Big Ten quarterback last season.

Fitzgerald endured a similar adjustment after breaking his leg late in Northwestern’s storybook 1995 season.

“For me, it probably took until Big Ten play, about 3 or 4 weeks, until all self-doubt is gone; all the rust is knocked off and you’re back out there playing fast again,” he said. “Dan’s been getting better each week.”

Persa, a fifth-year senior, is from Bethlehem, Pa., but said he puts no extra emphasis toward playing Penn State this Saturday (6 p.m., BTN). He wasn’t recruited by the Nittany Lions.

Colter figures to keep getting some snaps at quarterback and Persa plans to take that challenge in stride, as well.

“It’s good to be in a rhythm and everything, but at the same time, you can’t let past plays affect any of your play in the moment,” Persa said. “So I just try to stay in the moment. If they bring Kain in, they bring Kain in. If not, I’m in there trying to do my job.

Losing sanity:Quarterback is position of strength for the Wildcats. But the defense is another story. Northwestern has given up 40.3 points in three conference games.#147;The definition of insanity is repeating the same performance and expecting a different outcome,#148; coach Pat Fitzgerald said. #147;We#146;ll look real hard personnel-wise at some things to make sure we have the best 11 out there. We#146;ll look at some things schematically.#148;Sad game-day trek:Defensive end Tyler Scott attended the funeral of his grandfather in Ohio on Saturday morning, but made it to Iowa City in plenty of time for kickoff.#147;I made it clear to the coaches I wanted to play,#148; Scott said. #147;They made every effort to get me there and they did. I flew from Youngstown to Iowa City, a (graduate assistant) picked me up. We pulled up just as the team was walking into the stadium.#148;