Report: Iowa moving to two-quarterback system
Iowa is reportedly moving to a two-quarterback system.
Offensive coordinator Greg Davis said that there will not be a fixed pattern for how junior Jake Rudock and sophomore C.J. Beathard are used, according to Marc Morehouse of The Cedar Rapids Gazzette.
Rudock, who was initially listed as the starter on the Hawkeyes' depth chart last week, missed Saturday's win over Purdue after hurting his hip in a Sept. 20 win over Pittsburgh. With Rudock out, Beathard completed 17 of his 37 pass attempts for 245 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Beathard looked more impressive against the Panthers, completing seven of his eight pass attempts for 98 yards in relief of Rudock to help the Hawkeyes erase a 10-point deficit.
Coach Kirk Ferentz addressed the quarterback situation last week, noting that Rudock played well at the position last season, when he started all 13 games.
"The good news is we found out about Jake last year. I think we found out early that he's a guy that can play at a really high level and we can win with. And due to the injury to Jake, we found the same thing out about C.J.," Ferentz said, according to the Associated Press. "It's a really unusual situation."
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Over four games this season, Rudock has passed for 798 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions, while Beathard has recorded 363 passing yards with one touchdown and an interception. Iowa currently ranks ninth among Big Ten teams in passing yards per attempt (6.6) and eighth in passer rating (127.05).
The Hawkeyes -- who are 4-1 this season with wins over Northern Iowa, Ball State, Pittsburgh and Purdue and a loss to Iowa State -- have a bye this weekend before hosting Indiana on Oct. 11.
- Chris Johnson
