Quarterbacks Reagan Andrew and Nick Howard have Butler off to a hot start. Photo by Bayleigh Cottrell.

SAWYER GOLDWEIN | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | sgoldwein@butler.edu 

Football icon John Madden once said, “If you’ve got two quarterbacks, you have none.” 

Mike Uremovich, head coach of Butler Football, disagrees. 

The Bulldogs’ coach has his team off to a 5-1 start — winning their first five games for the first time since 2009 — and he is doing so by using two quarterbacks.

Graduate quarterback Nick Howard transferred to Butler after captaining Dartmouth to the 2023 Ivy League Championship — a title they shared with Yale. Howard, the leading rusher for the Big Green in 2021, also led the Ivy League in yards per carry that year.

As he prepared for his sixth year of college football, Howard hit the transfer portal looking for a new home. The signal caller eventually settled on Butler as his destination.

“I was really just looking for a place where I thought I could be successful and be around good people,” Howard said. “I found those two things with Coach U’s program here at Butler.”

Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore quarterback Reagan Andrew is already comfortable at Butler. Spending his first year on the sidelines and not appearing in a single game in his second year, Andrew tried to learn as much as he could to prepare him for a starting role.

“It was great to sit behind [former Butler starting quarterback] Bret [Bushka] for two years and be a sponge [watching] him,” Andrew said. “Those two years grew me as a player. I wouldn’t be as good as I am today without sitting behind [Bushka and former backup quarterback Eddie Schott].”

Both quarterbacks entered this year with the skill set to be the Dawgs’ starting quarterback, leaving Uremovich with a decision to make. He was not initially expecting to start both players, thinking he would choose the player who performed best in the offseason.

“We went into camp with an open competition,” Uremovich said. “They both played really well in camp, and you have to play good players. So, to me, it’s not a big deal playing two quarterbacks.”

Uremovich’s decision paid off, as both quarterbacks have consistently put up strong performances and Butler has chugged along to a 5-1 record over halfway through the season.

Howard has been a rock-solid dual threat for the Bulldogs, completing 72% of his passes on his way to 363 yards, five passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. Meanwhile, he has balanced out his passing attack by averaging 6.3 yards per carry and rushing for five touchdowns.

Still, it is Andrew who has raked in awards. The two-time Pioneer Football League (PFL) Offensive Player of the Week has thrown seven touchdowns and just three interceptions on the season, adding four rushing touchdowns as well.

In Andrew’s first experience in a two-quarterback system, he sees the upside.

“It’s been unique,” Andrew said. “It’s been a really cool experience with both of us getting to play. [We give] defenses two different offenses to game plan for. It’s been a lot of fun.”

For Howard, having Andrew alongside him has made for a smooth transition to Butler. He credits Andrew with helping him understand what it means to be a Bulldog. 

“[Andrew was] one of the first guys I interacted with when I came to Butler,” Howard said. “He’s been a rock for me. Being a transfer can be tough, but he was welcoming and extremely helpful, getting me up to speed on the playbook, the program [and] the way we do things here. I’ve been really appreciative to have him — even though he’s younger than me —  step up and do almost a big brother role.”

Of course, while Andrew may have had the inside scoop on The Butler Way, Howard is still the seasoned veteran when it comes to football experience. During his tenure at Dartmouth, he even had the opportunity to play in an offense with more than one quarterback.

“It was a lot of what we did when I was playing at Dartmouth, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary for me,” Howard said. “Bringing that here has been really good for our team. We utilize both of our skill sets to the maximum.”

Howard’s maturity and play style have provided ample opportunities for Andrew to learn, the same way Howard relied on him for help with his adjustment to Butler.

“[Howard has] had a historic college career and it’s been awesome to learn from him, get some new perspective on things and play alongside him,” Andrew said. “It’s been a blessing in disguise; I’ve loved every second of it.”

The two quarterbacks have leaned on each other every step of the way; it is paying dividends. Both players are in a rhythm and it has been infectious to the rest of the team. Now, the only thing left to do is to keep striving for success together, one week at a time.

“[Our] expectations are to keep winning,” Andrew said. “Just continue to execute, continue to play together [and] keep this thing going.”