NIU right defensive end Phil Foley fits the mold of the prototype NFL right-side pass rusher in that he uses both speed and power to get to the quarterback.

And while the 6-foot-2, 207-pound senior doesn’t compare size-wise with a Richard Dent or a Chris Doleman, he doesn’t play like an NFL All-Pro end either.

His game goes beyond rushing the passer.

While many defensive ends can only contain running backs until a linebacker can make the play, Foley takes his duty a step further. When a ballcarrier comes in his direction, Foley often beats the linebackers to the spot.

And when third-down-and-long rolls around, he’s still in hell-bent-for-leather pursuit of the quarterback.

“I have confidence in everyone that’s around me (on the defense),” Foley said. “Everyone that’s playing has a lot of experience, so I can go all-out and not worry about anything.”

In two games this season, Foley, who accumulated 10 tackles in Saturday’s 14-10 win over Middle Tennessee State, has already chalked up a team-high four quarterback sacks, and tackled ballcarriers for a loss on two other occasions. He is among the team leaders in total tackles with 18, and hasn’t sat out a down.

Foley, who said the ‘88 Huskie defense is the finest since he’s been at NIU, thinks he’s off to his best start ever this season.

“Since this is my last year, I’ve got to make the most of it,” said Foley, who was redshirted his freshman year. “I don’t like to talk numbers because they bring bad luck, but I’d like be one of the top tacklers on the team.

“It’ll be difficult, because in the 4-4 defense everything (the tackles) is geared toward the linebackers.”

Since NIU changed it’s defensive set from the 50 to the 4-4 at the start of last season, Foley has started every game. In his first two seasons, under the 50 scheme, Foley fit into the Huskies’ plans as a defensive tackle and saw only limited playing time.

After moving outside, Foley collected 66 tackles last year, and in the Huskies’ game-by-game individual grading system, he has received scores of 90 percent or better in all but one of his last 13 games.

“This defensive scheme really suits an athlete like Phil Foley,” Huskie coach Jerry Pettibone said. “He’s quick, strong, tough and very smart.

“Because he was really too small to play tackle, Phil probably would have been destined to be a backup in the 50 setup. Now he’s got a position and he still works hard. He’s always in the weight room lifting weights.”

Foley, who agreed with Pettibone that he is too small to play inside, wants to get graded above 90 percent in all 11 games this year (he’s been over 90 percent in both the Akron and MTSU games), but emphasizes his goal’s for the team.

“I’d like to see us go 11-0 and go to a bowl game,” Foley said. “And we can. Wisconsin will be the big game. Winning those first two games was a stepping stone. Now, we’ve got to take another step.”

Foley, whose younger brother John is currently a medical redshirt at Notre Dame, attended football-factory St. Rita High School in Chicago. He said growing up two blocks from St. Rita, where it seems everyone plays football, almost forced him into liking the game.

Now, no one has to force him to do anything.