INSIDE SLANT

The last time Northwestern won at least 8 games in back-to-back seasons, Pat Fitzgerald was the team’s middle linebacker and not its coach.

The only other time Northwestern went to bowl games in back-to-back years, Fitzgerald was the middle linebacker.

The last time Northwestern went to a bowl game in Florida? You guessed it…the 1997 Citrus Bowl that served as Fitzgerald’s final game in an NU uniform.

But in the wake of the Wildcats’ stirring 33-31 regular-season finale win over No. 16 Wisconsin at Ryan Field, they appear headed for a holiday trip to the sunshine state. If the Big Ten receives a second BCS slot as expected, then Northwestern’s 8-4 record earns either a trip to the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day or a visit to the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 29.

Neither destination looked particularly likely when the clock struck November. If you recall, the Wildcats fell to 5-4 on Oct. 31 with a 34-13 home loss to Penn State—and they looked like they might not have QB Mike Kafka for the foreseeable future after he injured his left hamstring and left the Penn State game in the second quarter.

While the Wildcats didn’t have Kafka at 100 percent in November, they won 100 percent of their games. The defense carried the hobbled Kafka (and backup Dan Persa) to victory at No. 4 Iowa for the program’s first win over a Top 5 team in 50 years. Then Kafka cranked up his right arm and led Northwestern to victories at Illinois and against the Badgers. In those two wins, Kafka completed 49 of 77 passes for 631 yards and 3 touchdowns without any turnovers. He also rushed for a score.

He’s just one example of Northwestern seniors rising above injuries to excel as their careers come to a close (defensive end Corey Wootton, safety Brad Phillips and cornerback Sherrick McManis also come to mind), but Kafka is the guy who makes the Wildcats go.

“I am a little biased, obviously, but I don’t think there is any player in this conference that means more to his football team than Mike Kafka,” Fitzgerald said in the Daily Herald. “To me, that’s what an MVP is. Obviously, there’s a lot of great players in this league, a lot of talent in this league. But at the end of the day I think Mike Kafka is not only our MVP, I believe he’s an all-Big Ten quarterback and the MVP of the Big Ten conference.”

NOTES, QUOTES

• Barring some crazy machinations with the Bowl Championship Series’ four at-large berths, Northwestern’s only options for its bowl game is the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 (in Tampa, Fla.) or the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 29 (in Orlando, Fla.). If the Big Ten gets a BCS at-large berth as it has in years past, then the Wildcats are competing with Wisconsin for those bowls. If the Big Ten doesn’t get an extra BCS spot, then the Wildcats only can go to Champs Sports or the Alamo Bowl. Considering NU played in the Alamo Bowl last year (and in 2000), it seems more likely to get the Champs Sports nod.

• With his strong finish to the season, QB Mike Kafka finished as the Big Ten’s leader during conference play with 193 completions, 297 attempts, a 65.0 completion rate and a league-low 4 interceptions. Kafka was third in yards (1,967) while throwing for 9 scores and running for 4.

• Northwestern entered its regular-season finale as one of the nation’s worst kick-return teams. The Wildcats averaged just 19.0 yards per return in their first 11 games, but junior Stephen Simmons cranked it up against Wisconsin. He produced returns of 64 and 34 yards to set up a touchdown and a field goal. Simmons was 4 for 155 yards on the day as the Wildcats averaged 33.4 yards per return overall.

• Senior DE Corey Wootton earned his fourth sack in NU’s last 5 games. The potential first-round draft pick, who was slowed by knee and ankle woes most of the year, has 4 sacks for the season and 19.5 sacks for his career.

Game Ball Goes To:   QB Mike Kafka—The fifth-year senior produced his fifth 300-yard passing day of the year as he rifled spirals all over Ryan Field. In his final home game, Kafka completed 26 of 40 passes for 326 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed 7 times for 17 yards.

Keep An Eye On:   WR Andrew Brewer—Wisconsin dared the senior wideout to make plays 1-on-1 against its cornerbacks, so Brewer delivered 6 catches for 102 yards and the first 2-touchdown day of his career. Brewer caught a 26-yard post pass to open the scoring, then laid out in the end zone for a diving 12-yard score in the second quarter.

Quote To Note:   “To get to 8 wins, I don’t think any of you guys would have predicted that six weeks ago. I guess we proved some folks wrong.”—Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald chiding the media in the Chicago Tribune after his Wildcats beat Wisconsin 33-31 for their fourth win in five weeks.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Looking Good:   Northwestern’s passing game was the story of the game for the second week in a row. QB Mike Kafka threw for 326 yards and 2 touchdowns without an interception, while WR Zeke Markshausen took a long Kafka lateral and turned it into a 38-yard TD lob to WR Sidney Stewart.

S Brad Phillips played like a maniac in his final home game. The senior led everyone with 11 solo tackles and 12 total stops. He sacked Scott Tolzien to end Wisconsin’s first drive. He sniffed out a David Gilreath end-around and blew it up for a 5-yard loss. The only thing he didn’t do perfectly was catch a Tolzien out-route and return it for a score. Instead, Phillips dropped the sure INT late in the third quarter.

K Stefan Demos recovered from an 0-for-3 day at Illinois with a perfect afternoon against the Badgers. Demos converted field goals of 45, 38, 45 and 34 yards to match his 4-for-4 performance at Purdue on Oct. 3. Demos is 18 of 23 on field-goal attempts this year and owns 85 points.

Still Needs Work:   P Stefan Demos drilled a low 33-yard line drive to Wisconsin’s David Gilreath that he returned 68 yards for a score. Not only did the punt not give the coverage team time to get into position, but the first guys downfield (Stephen Simmons and Kyle Petty) didn’t break it down and get a hand on Gilreath. In fact, no one touched him the entire way.

RB Scott Concannon lost a second-quarter fumble that Wisconsin recovered to set up a short touchdown drive. He didn’t run the ball the rest of the game.

RB Stephen Simmons picked up two penalties while working on special teams. He drew a 15-yard call on kick coverage for unnecessary roughness after the play. That helped Wisconsin drive a short field for a score. Simmons also negated a strong kick return by teammate Jacob Schmidt with a block below the waist.

Roster Report:  

• QB Mike Kafka (left hamstring) was close to 100 percent as he went the route against Wisconsin. Kafka didn’t run any option plays, but he scrambled a few times and ran a draw. Barring a new injury, he’ll be 100 percent for the yet-to-be-determined bowl.

• QB Dan Persa (injured throwing hand) did not play for the first time in four weeks, though it had almost everything to do with the game’s situations and nothing to do with the hand injury he suffered on Nov. 7 at Iowa.

• S Brendan Smith (left thumb) missed his fifth game in six weeks, but the senior co-captain indicated he’ll be ready to go for Northwestern’s bowl game.