One’s got the experience. The other’s got the arm. And both are slated as the No. 1 quarterback.

Phil Horvath and Dan Nicholson both have aspirations of being NIU’s starting quarterback come August. But right now neither knows who’s even starting for the annual spring football game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Huskie Stadium.

The only one who knows is NIU coach Joe Novak. And he’s not tipping his hand until tip off.

“I’ve got two starting quarterbacks,” Novak said. “Right now I don’t know who’s going to start. And I won’t know that until August.”

With Garrett Wolfe still rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery, the quarterback will be one of the main focuses during the spring game.

Despite sitting out much of the spring with injuries, Horvath maintains he will play Saturday.

The soon-to-be senior Horvath led the Huskies to a 4-4 record last season before breaking his left arm in the game against Central Michigan.

But don’t let the record fool you. The Naperville native threw 18 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions last year. He was also one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation with his 159.45 efficiency rating and 70.6 completion percentage.

The soon-to-be redshirt sophomore Nicholson was no slouch either.

After coming in to lead the Huskies to victory in the game where Horvath went down, Nicholson won two straight games to get NIU to the MAC championship game. One of those wins came against Toledo — a team NIU hadn’t beaten in 15 years.

While neither knows who will get the first snap, both agree the competition is only going to make each other better.

“I think it’s great,” Horvath said. “I mean it’s Division I football. No job is ever safe. This is just going to push the both of us.”

But the quarterback position won’t be the only position being watched closely by the coaches.

With the departure of Sam Hurd and Shatone Powers, and with Britt Davis missing the game with a sprained knee, the spring game will be a showcase of up and coming receivers.

Jarret Carter, Marcus Perez, Greg Turner and Matt Simon all will try to use the spring game to try and grab the No. 2 and No. 3 receiver positions.

This will also be the first time the offensive line will play together.

With the loss of three starters, the Huskies are looking to a pair of upperclassmen and a redshirt freshman to pave the way for NIU’s running attack this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, Novak continues to make changes to his linebacking core. Redshirt freshman David Bryant cracks the starting lineup on the weak side with Tim McCarthy and Keenan Blalark in the middle and strong-side positions.