Northwestern looks to begin Dan Persa era with win against Vanderbilt

Check back with THE DAILY tomorrow for live coverage from Nashville, with the kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. central time.

Northwestern and Vanderbilt appeared to be on similar tracks in 2008 as two academic powerhouses about to break their reputations as major-conference doormats.

Just two days after Northwestern lost a classic overtime battle in the 2008 Alamo Bowl with Missouri, Vanderbilt managed to break its 53-season bowl drought with a dramatic 16-14 victory over Boston College in the Music City Bowl.

While NU finished up its 2009 regular season with an 8-4 record and a trip to the Outback Bowl, Vanderbilt failed to win a single conference game last season. Head coach Bobby Johnson abruptly retired in July, leaving new coach Robbie Caldwell just seven weeks to prepare for Saturday night's opener against NU.

Now, these two schools will cross paths for only the third time, opening up the 2010 season in Nashville tomorrow night with their first matchup in 58 years.

Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald knows something about making a quick transition with his promotion in 2006 after coach Randy Walker died unexpectedly, just weeks before the start of the season.

"Through difficult times good football teams come together and they unify," Fitzgerald said. "From all the things that I've read from down there, it seems like that's what has happened. We'll find a way to rise up to their level of passion on Saturday." 

The Cats will have some adversity of their own to deal with, as they'll be without starters David Arnold at safety and Bryce McNaul at linebacker.

Vanderbilt may be without their star running back, Warren Norman. One of the most dangerous players in the Southeastern Conference, he's questionable for this week's game with a knee injury.

Norman recorded the most rushing yards of any SEC freshman last season, averaging 5.4 yards a carry, and was named the SEC Freshman of the Year after he led the conference in all-purpose yardage.

If he plays, Norman could give the Cats fits on the kick return. The Commodore ran three kicks back for touchdowns last year, averaging 26.2 yards per return.

With or without Norman, the more pertinent curiosity for Cats fans will be the official beginning of the Dan Persa era, and how the junior quarterback will perform against a pass defense that gave up the third-fewest yards in the SEC last season.

"Danny is a dual-threat quarterback and can make all the throws we ask our quarterbacks to make," Fitzgerald said. "He also can make you pay with his legs. I think what's more important, especially in the opener, is his decision-making, seeing different color jerseys who react a little differently. How he handles that will be critical."

To take pressure off Persa, NU will look to run the ball against a run defense that finished dead-last in the SEC last season, giving up nearly 200 rushing yards a game. The Cats notched just 106.6 rushing yards per game in 2009, even fewer when you factor out Mike Kafka's yardage.

"It's been our focus all offseason," Fitzgerald said. "Here comes your first test -- you think you know the information and then you get tested on it."  

With temperatures expected to be in the seventies, Fitzgerald will try to keep his players cool by rotating players in and out.

"This week will be similar to a couple years ago when we brought 70 players down to Duke early in the year and played 68," Fitzgerald said. "We fully anticipate playing everyone on the bus."

Even with Vanderbilt's woes last season, they still have one thing NU doesn't have: a recent bowl victory. The Cats' quest to break their own 61-year drought starts in Nashville.

2009 recap

After a slow start, Northwestern finished strong, winning six of its last eight regular season games to earn a berth in the Outback Bowl. Although the Wildcats were unable to end their bowl drought, losing in double-overtime to Auburn, they finished up the season 8-5 with wins over No. 4 Iowa and No. 17 Wisconsin. The Cats will look to make their third-straight bowl for the first time in program history.

Vanderbilt had a disappointing 2009 campaign. After winning a bowl game the year before, the Commodores didn't come to qualifying in 2010, going 2-10 with eight straight losses to end the season. 

Key Matchup

After losing veteran James Williams to academic problems in the off-season, Vanderbilt is left with very little experience on the offensive line. Only guard Kyle Fischer has any real starting experience. Northwestern's strong front seven could dominate the battle at the line of scrimmage.

Burning Question

Will Northwestern's rushing attack, one of the worst in the Big Ten last year, have success against the worst rushing defense in the SEC in 2009?

How NU will win/lose

Northwestern will win if their strong offensive line can create holes for NU's running backs and make Dan Persa feel secure in the pocket. Northwestern will lose if Warren Norman puts in a big game for Vanderbilt. At the moment, it isn't clear whether Norman will play, but if he does, he could win games single-handedly for his team.

Series history

Vanderbilt leads the series 1-0-1, with last meeting in Evanston in 1952. The two played to a 20-20 tie.

NU Injury Report

David Arnold, safety (out – foot)

Roderick Goodlow, linebacker (out for season – knee)

Keegan Grant (OG), offensive guard (out – illness)

Tony Jones (WR), wide receiver (out – shoulder)

Bryce McNaul (LB), line backer (out – shoulder)

Tim Riley (LB), (out – shoulder)