Saturday’s win at Ball State proved to be a redemptive effort for quarterback Josh Haldi.

Haldi, who had completed 13 of his last 35 passing attempts before Saturday’s game, finished 13-of-20 for 171 yards and a career-high four touchdowns against the Cardinals. Haldi also didn’t throw an interception, something he had done four times in the last five games.

“We got some guys open,” coach Joe Novak said. “I thought Josh played well and I thought we were able to protect a lot better.”

Haldi’s 171 yards against Ball State were 37 more than he passed for in the last two games.

Winning the battle

The NIU football team got more than one win on Saturday.

The Huskies intercepted four Talmadge Hill passes and gave away only two fumbles to win the turnover battle.

Coming into the Ball State game, NIU had recovered only one fumble and intercepted three passes. Conversely, the Huskies had lost eight fumbles and had five passes picked off.

The Huskies still have given away more fumbles than any team in the conference (10) and rank 10th in the MAC in turnover margin (-1.17).

Remembering Thomas

NIU running back Thomas Hammock came out of Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., as the area athlete of the year while playing three sports.

For football, the 5-foot-8, 209-pound Hammock had scholarship offers from both NIU and Ball State among others.

Electing for the Huskies, BSU coach Bill Lynch still remembered Hammock in a positive light when his Cardinals faced off against NIU on Saturday.

“Having Thomas through the recruiting process, it’s real tough to see his season come to an end,” said Lynch, of Hammock’s undetermined cardiac condition that could have ended his career. “For such a good person and player, it’s tough.”

Running with the MAC

The MAC continues to keep a stranglehold on the nation’s top rushers.

After this weekend’s games, the MAC has the top three rushers in the country.

Kent State quarterback Joshua Cribbs leads the nation in rushing with 898 yards.

NIU’s Michael Turner trails Cribbs by only 26 yards and leads fellow running back Ime Akpan (Eastern Michigan) by 51 yards.

“We knew [Turner] had a lot of ability,” Novak said. “He ran for 1,000 yards as a freshmen but he’s had a lot of injuries. But, we knew if we gave him the ball he could get yards.”

Drew’s Day

Cornerback Randee Drew won’t soon forget Saturday’s win at Ball State.

The Milwaukee native was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week after he intercepted two passes, deflected two more and forced a fumble in Saturday’s win in Muncie.

Drew’s 76-yard interception return marked the fifth longest interception return in school history.

The junior also had five tackles (three solo) and returned three kickoffs for 115 yards.