NIU quarterback Josh Haldi has taken his share of hits from opposing linemen. But it doesn’t end there. I Haldi has been criticized by local media and the student body for being ineffective, despite being a big reason why the Huskies are off to their best start in 38 years. I “I’ve hung my head on making good decisions and not forcing things since I’ve been here,” Haldi said. “Sure, there’s things I can do better, but that’s me. Playing sound football and winning football games is what I want to do. The fans can complain all they want, but I think if you win, it kind of nips things at the bud a little bit and they won’t be too mad at you.”

The 6-foot-2-inch quarterback hasn’t appeared to give the fans much to complain about, but they still do despite the fact that Haldi is leading the MAC in passing efficiency. He is not only the best in the conference, but 11th in the nation in the category with a rating of 142.55.

NIU coach Joe Novak expects Haldi to run the offense efficiently while taking care of the ball. This season, Haldi has thrown nine touchdown passes and only two interceptions.

Last season, Haldi took the reins from four-year starter Chris Finlen and struggled in his first four starts. After a home loss to Division I-AA Western Illinois, where Haldi threw for 74 yards on 6-of-16 passing, he took heat from the media, which seemed to motivate the then-sophomore.

“He understands that, at that position, you take some and you get some,” Novak said. “He deals with it very well. Is he as pretty as [Ben] Roethlisberger [Miami of Ohio] and some of the other guys? No, he’s not. But his record in his last 12 games is 11-1 and the one we lost was in the last minute. He’s a winner. He does what he needs to do to lead this football team. It’s just not always pretty as people want to see.”

This week, Haldi and the team are preparing to face Ohio in the Huskies’ first MAC game of the season.

Haldi, an Ohio native, was passed by Bowling Green and Akron in the recruiting process. NIU offered him a scholarship after talking with Akron pass defense coordinator Bob Morris.

“He’s been doubted his entire life,” NIU center Todd Ghilani said. “He was my roommate freshman year and he’s from Ohio, obviously, and he got passed over by a bunch of the big schools in Ohio. Akron offered him a scholarship, then they gave it to someone else [Charlie Frye] and felt bad about it. That’s the only reason he came here. Akron said, ‘This kid’s a really good player, can you help him out? Can you give him a scholarship?’ He came here and proved everyone wrong.”

Haldi has been effective on the field and in the classroom as well. He boasts a 3.92 grade point average as an accountancy major and earned the MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Tuesday.

With the nation’s top returning rusher Michael Turner behind him, Haldi isn’t looked at to pass 60 times a game, Novak said.

“We run the football here, and that’s what you need to do to win games,” Haldi said. “You can’t always rely on the pass. As far as myself, I fit this offense pretty well because they don’t ask you to throw the ball 40 to 50 times a game. But for this offense, it’s a great situation. With Mike being such an effective back, we get eight or nine guys in the box and I’m able to make a lot more plays. Everything’s worked out great here, and as long my teammates have confidence in me, and I have confidence in myself, we’ll be all right.”