Mike entered his senior season as Northwestern’s starting quarterback after C. J. Bachér graduated. He was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awardwatch list, along with 19 other players nationally, with two others in the Big Ten Conference. In the offseason, he was tutored by offensive coordinator Mick McCall and former Northwestern quarterback Brett Basanez.
At home against Towson on September 5 to start the 2009 season, Kafka threw for 192 yards on 15 completions of 20 attempts. He ran for six yards on six carries. Against Eastern Michigan at home on September 12, he threw for 158 yards and one interception on 14 completions out of 24 attempts. He ran for 21 yards on five runs.
During the Syracuse game, Kafka set a school record for consecutive completions in a game with 16, breaking the 47-year-old record set by Tom Myers in 1962. He set a career-high in passing yards in a game by passing for 390 yards. His previous career-high was 192 yards in a game against Towson in the 2009 season opener. Kafka also ran for a three-yard touchdown and threw three touchdown passes along with an interception. He caught a receiving touchdown when he tossed a lateral to Andrew Brewer who threw it back to Kafka for a 24-yard touchdown. Kafka became the first Big Ten Conference player to score at least one passing, receiving and rushing touchdown in a game since Zack Mills from Penn State accomplished it on September 4, 2004 against Akron. Kafka finished the game with 35 completions on 42 attempts. He was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week on September 20 for his performance against Syracuse.
Kafka passed for 309 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against Minnesota. He took four sacks and during a desperation drive to win the game, fumbled the football, which helped end the game.
In the Purdue game, Kafka went 28-of-44 and threw for 224 yards. He rushed for a season-high 39 yards on 18 carries and ran for the game-winning two-yard touchdown. After leading after the touchdown 25–21, Kafka threw a successful two-point conversion pass to Drake Dunsmore to increase the lead by six to win the game after Purdue failed to score on the final drive of the game.
Kafka went 15 completions of 31 attempts for 191 yards and one interception to lead Northwestern to a 16–6 win over Miami (OH). He was the leading rusher for Northwestern, rushing for 53 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns.
In the 24–14 loss at Michigan State on October 17, Kafka went 34-for-47 and threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns. He was the leading rusher for the second straight week for Northwestern, rushing for 42 yards on 18 carries.
In a come-from-behind win against Indiana, the Wildcats trailed 28–3 during the second quarter before Kafka ran for a one-yard touchdown and later passed for two touchdowns to lead Northwestern to a 29–28 win. The Wildcats overcame a 25-point deficit, which was the biggest comeback in school history. He went 26-of-46 and passed for 312 yards, along with two touchdowns and a career-tying three interceptions. He rushed for 65 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown.[42] Kafka totaled 377 yards of total offense, which is second-best in his career.
Against 12th ranked Penn State, Kafka went 14-for-18 and passed for 128 yards, along with rushing for 42 yards on eight carries and a touchdown before leaving the game with a leg injury during the second quarter.[43] He was replaced by Dan Persa.
Kafka shared time at quarterback with Persa due to his strained hamstring on November 7 against the 4th-ranked, and previously undefeated, Iowa Hawkeyes. Northwestern coming into the game was a 16-point underdog, but still beat Iowa 17–10 in Northwestern’s first win over a nationally ranked top-ten team since they won against Ohio State in 2004. Persa had to leave the game early to receive X-rays for a hand injury, which forced Kafka to play more than original planned. He finished as Northwestern’s leading passer with 72 yards on ten completions.
Against Illinois on November 14, Kafka threw for 305 yards and went 23-of-37, along with a 28-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Zeke Markshausen. He rushed seven times for 12 yards and a one-yard touchdown to beat the Fighting Illini 21–16. Kafka threw for 300 or more yards for the fourth time this season.
Against 16th-ranked Wisconsin on November 21, Kafka went 26-of-40 for 326 yards and two touchdowns, both to converted wide receiver Andrew Brewer. He rushed for 17 yards on seven carries to upset the Badgers with a 33–31 win. Kafka threw for 300 or more yards for the fifth time this season and for the second straight game. He was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Wisconsin.
From Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald:
“I don’t think there is any player in this conference that means more to his football team than Mike Kafka. To me, that’s what an MVP is. Obviously, there are a lot of great players in this league, a lot of talent in this league, but at the end of the day, I think Mike Kafka is not only our MVP, but an All-Big Ten quarterback and the MVP of the conference.”
Kafka ranked third in the Big Ten Conference in passing yards with 241.5 passing yards per game and he ranked second in total offense. He finished the season tied for first in the Big Ten in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with seven. His 65.7 completion percentage for 2009 ranked first in the Big Ten. His 414 pass attempts ranked third in the Big Ten and eighth among all quarterbacks nationally.
Kafka was named second-team All-Big Ten following the 2009 season. He was named first-team All-Big Ten by Rivals.com. He finished fourth in the Chicago Tribune’s Silver Football voting, given out to the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player, behind Brandon Graham, Daryll Clark and John Clay.
Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese said of Kafka that he “has the three qualities I look for. One, he’s a good decision-maker, he knows when to throw the ball away. Two, he’s accurate. Three, he makes plays. This is where Kafka really jumps out. If he has a playmaker downfield, he gets the ball to him.”
Kafka graduated from Northwestern in December.
