I don't think you can have it put in your name at a later date. I'm not telling you it's OK to break any laws, but you could give your friend the cash he needs to buy the gun and let him do so. Then, at a later date, he could "gift" the rifle to you. Technically and legally, this would still be considered a straw purchase. However, it would be very hard to prove unless the BATFE is monitoring this website. If the gun is not ever traced in the event of a crime, it will probably be a non issue. However, the law is the law and you must be careful when running afoul of the law, especially a federal law.
Like the old saying goes: "Rules is rules and them's the rules, and those is fools who breaks them rules".
You're sort of in a tough spot. If you can't pick the gun up in person, either you convince the dealer to hold it for you until you can pick it up in person (offer to pay him a "storage fee"), or you risk the straw purchase and cross your fingers that you don't get caught. Or, GBro has a reasonable solution as well. Let your friend buy the rifle. Then, at a later date, go through the FFL to buy it from your friend. You may have to pay a fee to do it, depending upon the FFL.