The quarterback who made his name with a 217-yard rushing performance agreed to shackle his legs late in the season because of a left hamstring strain.
Mike Kafka said he didn’t strike a formal deal with offensive coordinator Mick McCall, but he acquiesced when coaches asked him to jog, not sprint, away from trouble.
“They told me, ‘Be careful,’ ” Kafka recalled. “Thankfully, because of our offensive line, we didn’t have that many sacks those two games, so I didn’t have to get out and run a lot.”
Kafka did just enough to beat Iowa (72 passing yards) before enjoying a 305-yard passing day at Illinois. Now Kafka regains his second dimension, as the team’s most effective runner.
He sprinted full out in Outback Bowl practices this week and said: “I feel great about getting some running plays in and scrambling and doing what I’m best at.”
McCall said a healthy Kafka, who set a Big Ten record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 217 last year at Minnesota, will force Auburn to “account” for him with a defender.
“That’s a big difference,” McCall said.
Added Kafka: “Now they have to worry about a running back and a quarterback when we do some option stuff. [Auburn is] very sound defensively. So we’re betting and hoping right now that if they screw up [an assignment], that will give us a chance.”
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Outback bowl
Northwestern vs. Auburn
10 a.m. Friday, ESPN
Purple power
Athletic director Jim Phillips proudly reported Wednesday that Northwestern has nearly sold out its 11,000-ticket allotment.
“Wildcat Nation responded … (fewer than) 100 tickets left, which will be sold by game day — STRONG!!!” Phillips said via text message.
