In case of emergency . . .

IOWA CITY -- Today, the topic is Iowa's No. 2 quarterback. This may or may not be a big deal.

You might get to actually know who this is, either junior John Wienke or freshman A.J. Derby. Or, maybe, true freshman Jake Rudock. If starter James Vandenberg slips on ice on the way through the quad, you'll get to know one of these three.

If everything goes as planned, and mostly as it has for the last five seasons, you might never know exactly who No. 2 is.

Iowa coaches probably locked in on No. 2 at last Friday night's scrimmage. That seemed to be the schedule, according to coach Kirk Ferentz.

"That's a position over the next two weeks where we will have to get some clarity," Ferentz said. "You can only practice so many guys at quarterback. We'll have to draw some conclusions in the next six or seven days."

Ferentz also didn't rule out Rudock. "I'm not ruling anything out right now," Ferentz said. "He's done a lot of good things. We'll wait and see."

Whether you get to know or actually see No. 2 in action, it's a big issue. No. 2 is one bad pimento sandwich from being handed the keys to the Hawkeyes.

"Whoever grabs the bull by the horns, basically, is going to be the guy," offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe said. "That's how it works its way out naturally, way more than you'd imagine."

So, they're looking for bull-horn grabbers.

The experienced bull-horn grabber is Wienke, a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder who also happens to be the No. 2 punter. He has one career pass attempt, an incompletion. He apparently does a Kirk Ferentz impression, though he wisely choose to keep it to himself.

"Wienke is the master at impressions, you'll have to ask him," said Derby, a 6-4, 232-pounder. "He does a helluva an everybody impression."

This is where we could get into the nebulous world of arms, knowledge of the offense and athleticism, but let's not. All that exists of Wienke-Derby race '11 are a couple of scribbles from the scrimmage Aug. 13. Derby, who redshirted last season, threw a pair of picks and one really nice touch pass to a tight end. Wienke didn't make any mistakes and went 4 of 10.

Every rep through last Friday carried a lot of weight for the backups.

"Reps are always gold," Wienke said. "Anytime you're given the opportunity to step in there and show what you can do, that's the best thing in the world. At the Division I level, that's all you can ask for. There are some guys who come in here and never get a rep. That's the way it goes. It's a competitive place."

Wienke should have more knowledge of the offense. Arm? Who knows. Derby might be the better athlete. The comparison O'Keefe made was Brad Banks, the 2002 Heisman runner-up who led the Hawkeyes to a co-championship in the Big Ten and an Orange Bowl berth.

"The closest guy we've had is probably Banks," O'Keefe said. "Brad was probably a little quicker in that regard. Obviously, A.J. is bigger, stronger. That's the only comparison that we would've had in the last 12 previous seasons."

That's something.

"You can't ask for anything better than that, I guess," Derby said.

When Iowa signed Derby in 2010, Ferentz said, sure, coaches would consider a Tim Tebow-like package to use Derby's skills.

Derby's father, John, played linebacker for the Hawkeyes (1988-91). His brother, Zach, is the No. 2 or 3 tight end for the Hawkeyes. But, no, don't bother going there with A.J.

"I'd say I'm all in," A.J. Derby said about playing quarterback. "I don't have a timetable or anything like that. I'm here to play quarterback. That's what I'm going to do."

Rudock had a nice scrimmage, completing 5 of 9 for 85 yards and a 47-yard TD, but it was a scrimmage held on the eighth of eight straight days of practice. And it was two weeks ago. It's relevance is past due.

Whoever is No. 2 might carry the same relevance. In the last five seasons, Iowa quarterbacks have missed four games. In '09, Ricky Stanzi missed Iowa's final two games after suffering a high-ankle sprain that needed surgery. In '06, Drew Tate missed one game because of a strained oblique and another with a torn thumb tendon.

That's four games out of 64. Plus, Vandenberg has this locked down.

“He handles pressure,” said ABC analyst Matt Millen, who called the '09 Iowa-Ohio State game in which Vandenberg had big, clutch moments in a 27-24 overtime loss.

“That's something that's really hard to find," he said. ". . . That's what wins and that's what loses, the ability to perform under pressure. That kid had it. You don't walk into Ohio Stadium and not have poise, unless you're completely oblivious. I don't know the kid, but I'm guessing he's not completely oblivious. He handled it well. That's a trait that's hard to find.”

Iowa's No. 2 QB may or may not be a big deal, but he is a big deal. Whoever he is.