Northwestern football coach Randy Walker didn’t wait for his spokesman to begin his weekly press conference on Monday.

The coach arrived early and said he was eager to return to the sideline after spending his Saturday off watching college football at home with his dog Magic curled up at his feet.

“Split screen was a heck of an invention,” Walker said. “Watching two games at one time — nothing is better than that.”

Walker spent more time on Monday than usual talking about the upcoming opponent, Wisconsin, but he said he didn’t think the week off necessarily gave his team an edge.

During the week off, the Cats worked on fundamentals and played armchair quarterback while watching their Big Ten foes play.

“It’s amazing how darn smart I am,” said Walker with a chuckle. “I had every call right on Saturday.”

But not everything during the bye was ideal for the Wildcats (3-4, 1-2 Big Ten) because freshman kicker Slade Larscheid developed a sore right hip flexor.

Larscheid couldn’t kick at Sunday’s practice, and Walker said he was unsure about his status for Saturday’s game against Wisconsin.

If Larscheid can’t play, redshirt freshman Joel Howells will take over the place-kicking duties, Walker said.

Larscheid is 2-of-6 on field goals this year, and has converted on his last two attempts.

The coach said he didn’t want to use punter Brian Huffman, who nailed a 56-yard field goal in high school, for place kicking.

“There is a school of thought in that world that you shouldn’t do both — you shouldn’t be a placement guy and a punter,” Walker said. “Don’t ask me. I’m just saying that’s what the experts in that world say.”

Besides Larscheid’s injury, Walker said he was optimistic about the team’s health.

Walker said he thought linebacker Tim McGarigle would be cleared to play after suffering a concussion two weeks ago, but he still wasn’t sure about the availability of safety Louis Ayeni, who has missed the last six games with a stinger in his back and neck region.

“I think Louis is close, but I hate to say that,” Walker said. “I thought he was close three weeks ago.”

With the week off, the Cats had a chance to spend a little time practicing “full-go,” which they usually don’t do because of the risk of injury.

NU also ran several one-on-one drills with wide receivers going against defensive backs and offensive lineman squaring off against defensive lineman.

“Usually the first step at practice the Sunday after a game is really painful,” NU running back Jason Wright said. “But on Sunday I stepped out there and there was no pain.

“It was the greatest feeling in the world.”

Walker said he noticed an extra bounce in his players’ steps at practice.

The coach also said he was impressed with his team’s running of eight 100-yard sprints at the end of practice Sunday.

“We were not worried about their legs,” Walker said. “We ran them as hard as we have since camp.”

The players didn’t mind the running, and also took advantage of the free weekend.

“I just watched games all day, ” Wright said. “And after they were over I went to the library.”

But not all players were so studious as Wright — at least not linebacker Pat Durr, a fifth-year senior taking only one class.

“Library?” Durr said. “No library for me. I don’t even know where the library is anymore.”