Northwestern notebook
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald offered little information about the leg injury of quarterback Mike Kafka, other than to say, ''We'll know more Monday.'' Kafka left the game midway through the second quarter with the Wildcats leading 10-3. He spent much of the second half riding an exercise bike on the NU sideline and initial observation suggested he may have tweaked a hamstring. Asked afterward whether Kafka could have returned, backup Dan Persa said: ''I think he would have been available in emergency situations if I went down.''... Penn State coach Joe Paterno admitted that his defense was able to play with more aggressiveness after Kafka's departure. ''We did a couple of aggressive stunts that we wouldn't have probably done with [Kafka]. He gets rid of the ball so fast.''...Kafka lost a fumble on the first Cats drive of the game but then engineered a field goal and a touchdown on the following two thrusts. ... When sophomore Ricky Weina was announced as a late starter in place of cornerback Sherrick McManis, he became the 20th Wildcat to start on defense this season and the ninth in the defensive backfield. Weina immediately proceeded to break up a potential TD pass in the end zone on the initial PSU drive and reprised the feat on the opening stand of the second half. ... Daryll Clark's two-yard rushing TD in the second quarter was the 20th of his career at Penn State and tied him with Michael Robinson (2002-05) for the most by a quarterback in school history. ... Scott Concannon made the first start of his NU career with moderate impact. He rushed for 13 yards on eight carries and added two receptions for 29 yards. ... Eleven Wildcats caught passes, the most this season. Zeke Markshausen led the den with nine for 60 yards. ... The Nittany Lions won the turnover battle, 2-0. Both were fumble recoveries. ... PSU also had six sacks while Northwestern recorded only one, credited to Vince Browne. ... Redshirt-freshman Brian Mulroe took his first snap at guard for the Cats in the first half. ... Just as the Nittany Lions were assuming command in the second half, spotty Jeravin Matthews muffed two straight kickoffs that pinned NU deep in its own territory.
Jim O'Donnell