Persa out for opener against BC

Published Sep. 3, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa is out for Saturday's game against Boston College.

Persa has been recovering from a ruptured Achilles' tendon. He missed the final three games last year, and the Wildcats lost all three.

Persa led the country last year with a Big Ten-record 73.5 percent completion percentage and 310 yards of total offense. The school mounted a Heisman Trophy campaign for him this year.

Backup Kain Colter is to make his first start at quarterback. Persa also is expected to miss next week's game against Eastern Illinois.