Report: Persa Says He's Ready For Season Debut
Dan Persa says he'll be ready to quarterback the Wildcats when they return from their bye week Oct. 1 at Illinois.
According to a Chicago Tribune report, Persa has been cleared to make his 2011 debut after having surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles' tendon during the 2010 season.
"At this point, I don't consider myself injured anymore," Persa said. "I have the same percentage of getting injured as anyone else. I'm cleared and ready to go."
The senior quarterback hasn't played since Nov. 13 when he threw the game-winning touchdown against Iowa. After the Wildcats' win, Persa had surgery to repair the ruptured tendon. He's missed six games since, including Northwestern's loss to Texas Tech in the TicketCity Bowl.
Head coach Pat Fitzgerald doesn't believe Persa will be rusty in his debut.
"I think he already had that earlier in (fall) camp," Fitzgerald said. "In two-a-days, the rhythm was not there. We're light years from that."
Said Persa: "I'm maybe not 100 percent as fast, but I'm pretty damn close."
