The playmaker. The X-factor. The third dimension.

NIU football’s red-shirt freshman Britt Davis said the attribute that sets him apart from other Huskies quarterbacks is his running ability.

“I believe I can get out of the pocket and make things happen,” Davis said. “Coach has reinforced that he wants someone to be effective without making turnovers.”

After spending one year adjusting to NIU head coach Joe Novak’s running attack, Davis said he’s ready to step in for the departed Josh Haldi.

At Riverside-Brookfield High School, Davis ran an offense where he was the only man in the backfield.

Within R-B’s five wide receiver sets, Davis threw for 3,025 yards and scrambled for 819 his junior year while operating out of the shotgun.

“It’s definitely different going from the shotgun and not taking any snaps from under center to taking all the snaps from under center,” Davis said. “But I feel I’ve adjusted pretty well.”

Davis ended his high school career with 6,162 yards through the air and 68 passing touchdowns and still ranks in the top 10 in IHSA statistical passing categories.

But Davis is not resting on his past and said he’ll watch a lot of film this summer to get ready for next fall.

Regardless of how much film Davis watches, if he wins the job at the helm, there’s no amount of game tape he could watch that would help him prepare to play in front of 120,000-plus fans at Michigan on Sept. 3.

“Phil [Horvath] had the luxury of playing in front of 40,000 at Iowa State last year,” Davis said. “Whoever is in there, it’s still going to be a great experience for all of us.”