Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Football: Persa’s toughness earns admiration

It took Dan Persa one play to show what type of quarterback he is.

Senior starter Mike Kafka left Saturday’s game against then No. 12-Penn State midway through the second quarter with a leg injury, handing Persa a 10-3 lead.

On third-and-four, the sophomore quarterback lined up in the shotgun. Persa received the snap and looked off coverage on a designed draw play. He scampered to his right and outran one Penn State linebacker to get to the outside of the defense. Immediately after crossing the first-down marker, Persa was upended by Penn State cornerback D’Anton Lynn, knocking Persa off his feet and sending him sprawling through the air. Persa completed a flip to pick up three more yards.

“It felt great because you’re never really get warmed up until you get the first hit on you,” he said.

Describing Persa as hard-nosed may be an understatement, as he is one of the rare signal-callers who don’t shy away from contact. Boston College even tried to recruit the six-foot-one, 210-pounder to play defense. Last year, Persa’s toughness earned him time as a special teams player.

Although his two-and-a-half quarters of play on Saturday didn’t lead the Wildcats to victory, his first real performance on the Big Ten stage impressed the coaching staff.

“He’s got great quickness and quick feet,” offensive coordinator Mick McCall said. “He’s a strong kid. He can run through an arm tackle.”

Despite Persa’s inexperience, his preparation allowed the coaching staff to stick to its game plan. Persa completed 14-of-23 passes for 115 yards and rushed 14 times for 42 yards.

“I was proud of the way that Danny stepped up,” Fitzgerald said. “You think about really your first major college competition and you’re welcomed in the heat of the battle against a team in the Top 20. He handled it really well.”

Saturday was Persa’s first taste of extended playing time since arriving in Evanston, despite a record-setting high school career in Pennsylvania. The Bethlehem, Pa., native was named as the Pennsylvania Player of the Year by the Associated Press in 2006, and was the first player in state history to thrown for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in a single season.

Fellow backup signal caller freshman Evan Watkins said reserves have to prepare like starters in order to be ready for off-chance opportunities to play.

“We try to model what (Kafka) does every day, every day at practice, every day in the film room,” Watkins said. “You just want to do what he does.”

It was only fitting that Persa’s Big Ten debut came against Penn State, a team the quarterback grew up following. Both Persa’s mother and sister are Penn State alums. The sophomore said that playing his hometown team in a nationally-televised night game didn’t bother him.

“You’re nervous on the sideline before you go in,” Persa said. “Once you’re in the game you don’t really have time to think about much except just going on the field and kind of playing and having fun.”

But it hasn’t been all fun and games for Persa to this point. The sophomore had to fight his way to even be included in the Cats’ quarterback picture. Persa said the NU coaching staff didn’t know if he had the throwing ability to be a Big Ten signal caller. They waited to see him play in person before putting a scholarship on the table.

“I came in and I proved that I could throw pretty well, and they offered me as a quarterback,” Persa said. “Going in I knew I wasn’t exactly what they were looking for but when I came to camp I proved that I was.”

Persa’s tough-guy demeanor has been essential in his development as a quarterback since day one. Although the backup signal caller may be quiet off the field, his tenacity has allowed him to gain a skill that’s necessary for every starter:

“Actions speak louder than words in everything,” McCall said. “When (Dan) is in the locker room or when he’s with someone individually, I think he gets their attention.” [email protected]

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Football: Persa’s toughness earns admiration