Monday morning depth chart doesn’t know

Monday morning's Iowa depth chart listed Jake Rudock as the starter at quarterback. The Monday morning depth chart hasn't always been the most accurate measure of who actually plays.

There's this thing called 'gamesmanship.” That's where one coach lets out or says something that is somewhat evasive and, at least in this case, is a statement without a question-and-answer session.

You can try to question Monday morning depth chart. Who's really starting at quarterback for the Hawkeyes, Monday morning depth chart? 'I'm just passing on what coach and sports information typed on me,” Monday morning depth chart said.

OK, Monday morning depth chart, thanks for your time.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz did tell Hawkeyesports.com, the UI's official sports website, that Rudock, who left Saturday's victory over Pitt with an unspecified lower-body injury, was 'sore” on Sunday and that he was Iowa's 'biggest concern” on the injury front as the Hawkeyes (3-1) travel to Purdue (2-2) for its Big Ten opener.

Ferentz also said that he hoped Rudock would be back 'mid-week” or by the end of the week. Rudock left the game at halftime after taking a hit from a pair of Pitt defenders. C.J. Beathard replaced Rudock and guided the Hawkeyes to three second-half scores (two TD drives and a field goal) and the comeback victory. Iowa trailed 17-7 at halftime.

This kind of kicked the door open for a good, ol' quarterback debate. In the Pitt postgame, Ferentz was asked three times about quarterback. He likes both players.

'I've said all along, we've got a lot of confidence in both players,” Ferentz said. 'They're both outstanding young guys. They're different, but they're both really good football players.”

Beathard finished 7 of 8 for 98 yards, with a lot of those yards coming on a 62-yard connection with wide receiver Damond Powell. Rudock was 5 of 10 for 80 yards with a TD and interception that was mishandled by Powell right into the arms of a Pitt defender.

'He shown that previously,” Ferentz said when asked about Beathard's performance. 'It's not like this is the first time we've seen him do good things. We've got two good quarterbacks. I'm really pleased with how he [Beathard] played, but I'm not standing here saying, ‘Gosh, I didn't see that coming.' This guy is a good football player. I think Rudock is a good football player, too.

'Usually, if you have two, you don't have any, but this is a situation where I think we have two.”

Beathard wasn't going anywhere near the topic. For what it's worth, he's always seemed like an affable guy. He showed a lot of that in Saturday's postgame.

'We don't let that fuel us,” said Beathard, who set career highs for completions and yards for himself on Saturday. 'Our relationship hasn't changed. He was supportive of me when I was in there, just like I was supportive of him. We're friends.”

Beathard didn't pin Iowa's first-half struggles on anything in particular, other than the fact that Pitt played Iowa off its feet.

'They're team had the ball for nine minutes,” Beathard said. 'We couldn't get anything going in the second quarter. In the second half, the guys came out and played better. We're excited.”

Beathard also wasn't fitting himself for a heavyweight championship belt Saturday. Every teammate polled, including tackle Brandon Scherff to running back Mark Weisman, agreed that Beathard put a spark in the offense. It wasn't much of a poll, kind of like, ‘Hey, do you like ice cream?' Beathard wouldn't go that far, though.

'No, I wouldn't say that,” Beathard said when asked if he gave the offense a spark.

Iowa has a bye week after Purdue. That also could play into what happens at quarterback. You can't really ask Monday morning depth chart. It's not real and just does what it's told.

You might have to wait and see who actually does play. It's a crazy idea.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@sourcemedia.net