Now Northwestern's all about Tampa

There was an extra spring in everyone’s step and an extra buzz in the football offices at Northwestern today. The two-hour practice session represented the team’s last official act before the holidays. For the most part, everyone's time is their own until the Wildcats reconvene on Saturday in Tampa.

In random order, here’s a sample of everything that went on in Evanston on Monday:

1) While the team practiced, Northwestern’s team of movers packed the school’s purple 18-wheeler with everything the team needs for its week in Tampa. They were already well into the process when I arrived a little after 11 a.m. and they closed up the door at 4 p.m. as I was leaving. According to one kind gentleman I chatted with, he’s heading out for Florida around midnight and figures it’ll take about 20 hours to get there. Thankfully, for his sake, he’s getting a ride back here so he can be home for Christmas before heading back to Tampa.

2) To prepare the Wildcats for the transition to Tampa, where it’s supposed to be in the 60s or low 70s for the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl game against Auburn, NU coach Pat Fitzgerald cranked up the heat in the indoor facility once again. He claimed he had the thermostat at 90 degrees today. While it was stuffy, it didn’t quite feel like 90 to me. QB Mike Kafka said it wasn’t so bad to practice in -- after you adjust to the initial blast when you walk into the place.

3) Speaking of Kafka, he and Fitzgerald got into a spat late in practice. The whole episode ended with co-captain Kafka getting kicked out of the indoor facility. Of course, this was all a prank dreamed up by the duo a few days in advance. Kafka would be the last guy to disrespect his coaches. With that in mind, I’m not sure anyone on the team was fooled by the contretemps (get out your dictionary, Doug).

4) The ’Cats get four days off before their next workout on Dec. 26. It’s a long time to go without practicing at this stage in the bowl process, but the players have been encouraged to get in a jog or a lift while they’re enjoying their time at home. Fitz said this winter’s practices were “twice as hard” as last year’s bowl prep because he factored in the four-day break.

5) Near the end of practice, the “D squads” ran a few plays against each other. The highlight of the mini-scrimmage by the developmental guys? Freshman superback John Plasencia stretched out in the corner of the end zone and made a splendid one-handed touchdown catch of an Evan Watkins pass.

6) If you haven’t been to NU’s web site recently, then you’ve missed out on senior defensive tackle Marshall Thomas’ blog. In addition to providing insight about the squad, it sheds some light on Thomas’ whimsical personality. Among other things, Thomas bestows nicknames on teammates for little or no reason. He decided, for example, that senior DE Corey Wootton is “Pumpkin Patch.”

“Corey is ‘Pumpkin Patch’ because, I don’t really know,” Thomas said. “I was sitting there, I was typing it up and…I put in Pumpkin Patch and he read it and he just got so mad that I said, ‘Oh, I’m definitely keeping that in there.”

Here’s Wootton’s retort: “I would like to say that he is a fool and no one has ever called me ‘Pumpkin Patch.’ He’s just a goofball. They shouldn’t have given him (the blog).”

Thomas claims his stuff could be goofier, but sophomore safety Brian Peters has been serving as his editor and cautioning him to rein in some of his wilder thoughts. Case in point: I asked Thomas, who lives in Miami, if he’s going to blog during his four-day break.

“Maybe I’ll give an update about me in a purple Speedo on the beach,” the 295-pound Thomas said with a laugh.

To check out “I Am Marshall,” go here: http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121509aae.html

7) Interviewed offensive coordinator Mick McCall, QB Mike Kafka, WR Zeke Markshausen and LT Al Netter for what I hope will be an illuminating feature on Northwestern’s boundless offense and how the team puts together a game plan. If I can harness the different offshoots, I’ll also explain what the skill guys are doing when they look to the sideline before a play, how many plays NU scripts and other such “insider-y” things.

Among the things that struck me while talking at length with McCall: It’s amazing how much of a cat-and-mouse game it is at the college level. There are so many options and so many variables involved, the slightest tweak by the offense or misalignment by the defense can make all the difference.

LW