By Teddy Greenstein
Tribune reporter
November 2, 2009
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Mike Kafka Sr. made a pact with his son, Mike, when he began playing at Northwestern: If he ever suffered a serious injury, he would call his dad and they would meet in the trainer's room.
No call, no worries.
"How serious this is, I don't know," the elder Kafka said of the leg injury that knocked Kafka out of Saturday's game against Penn State. "But if it was serious, he would tell me."
The son actually did give his dad a bit of good news.
"He texted me," Mike Sr. said Sunday afternoon. "He says he feels OK and that he plans on playing next week."
That would be a huge boost for a team that sputtered with second-string Dan Persa under center and has to hit Iowa City on Saturday to tangle with the 9-0 Hawkeyes.
Kafka completed three series, and they produced 10 points and an average of 5.5 yards per play.
During Persa's nine series, the Wildcats managed just a field goal, averaging 4.1 yards per snap.
No wonder Joe Paterno offered his signature compliment after the game, saying Kafka is "a heck of a football player."
The injury occurred during the second quarter on a first-and-10 from the NU 34. Kafka took a shotgun snap, scrambled left to evade pressure and then cut sharply to the right to avoid getting sacked by tackle Devon Still.
Kafka fell to the turf untouched but got himself up.
"So credit the 32-yard line with a sack," ESPN's Carter Blackburn said cleverly during the telecast.
Kafka did not wince but did grab the back of his left leg, indicating a hamstring injury. After completing a 7-yard pass to Zeke Markshausen, the Wildcats called a timeout before a third-and-5 play.
Kafka again appeared to reach for his left hamstring as he walked to the sideline to meet with coaches and trainer Tory Lindley.
He finished the game having completed 14 of 18 pass attempts, upping his season completion percentage to 66.8 percent. He is also NU's leading rusher, with 248 yards and six touchdowns.
It's worth noting that Kafka suffered a hamstring injury in 2006 that knocked him out of three games.
NU coach Pat Fitzgerald did not provide any details about the injury after the game, saying he needed to consult with NU's training staff. A team spokesman said that no update would be provided Sunday.
Fitzgerald will meet with the media at noon Monday.
Tribune reporter
November 2, 2009
E-mail Print Share Text Size
Mike Kafka Sr. made a pact with his son, Mike, when he began playing at Northwestern: If he ever suffered a serious injury, he would call his dad and they would meet in the trainer's room.
No call, no worries.
"How serious this is, I don't know," the elder Kafka said of the leg injury that knocked Kafka out of Saturday's game against Penn State. "But if it was serious, he would tell me."
The son actually did give his dad a bit of good news.
"He texted me," Mike Sr. said Sunday afternoon. "He says he feels OK and that he plans on playing next week."
That would be a huge boost for a team that sputtered with second-string Dan Persa under center and has to hit Iowa City on Saturday to tangle with the 9-0 Hawkeyes.
Kafka completed three series, and they produced 10 points and an average of 5.5 yards per play.
During Persa's nine series, the Wildcats managed just a field goal, averaging 4.1 yards per snap.
No wonder Joe Paterno offered his signature compliment after the game, saying Kafka is "a heck of a football player."
The injury occurred during the second quarter on a first-and-10 from the NU 34. Kafka took a shotgun snap, scrambled left to evade pressure and then cut sharply to the right to avoid getting sacked by tackle Devon Still.
Kafka fell to the turf untouched but got himself up.
"So credit the 32-yard line with a sack," ESPN's Carter Blackburn said cleverly during the telecast.
Kafka did not wince but did grab the back of his left leg, indicating a hamstring injury. After completing a 7-yard pass to Zeke Markshausen, the Wildcats called a timeout before a third-and-5 play.
Kafka again appeared to reach for his left hamstring as he walked to the sideline to meet with coaches and trainer Tory Lindley.
He finished the game having completed 14 of 18 pass attempts, upping his season completion percentage to 66.8 percent. He is also NU's leading rusher, with 248 yards and six touchdowns.
It's worth noting that Kafka suffered a hamstring injury in 2006 that knocked him out of three games.
NU coach Pat Fitzgerald did not provide any details about the injury after the game, saying he needed to consult with NU's training staff. A team spokesman said that no update would be provided Sunday.
Fitzgerald will meet with the media at noon Monday.
