NU 13, Penn State 10 at half

The Wildcats are holding up well against their first ranked opponent this year. Well, everyone not named Mike Kafka.

NU's senior quarterback pulled up lame with about nine minutes left in the second quarter while scrambling. Though he stayed in for one play, Kafka's bad left hamstring sent him to the locker room with six minutes left in the half.

Redshirt sophomore Dan Persa, who grew up three hours east of Penn State in Bethlehem, Pa., has stepped in to lead the Wildcats to the go-ahead field goal just before halftime. Persa, a dual-threat quarterback in Kafka's mold, has hit 3 of 5 passes for 29 yards and rushed 5 times for 27 yards.

NU has benefited from a few crazy plays. Punter Stefan Demos dropped a snap, but stayed alive long enough to chest-pass the ball to Mark Woodsum for a 9-yard gain and first down. On NU's first scoring drive, Penn State was flagged for 12 men on the field on fourth down to keep that march alive.

Too soon to know if Kafka will return for the second half. My guess would be only if Persa gets roughed up. The only other QB in uniform is Evan Watkins, a true freshman from Glenbard North who usually runs the scout team in practice. They really don't want to take off Watkins' redshirt.

Update: Kafka took a few throws at midfield during second-half warmups, but he looked a little worried about putting weight on his leg. Looks like Persa for the second half.

LW