BRONX, N.Y. — Three quarterbacks spoke with the media Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, but only one knew he would be leading his team’s offense on the field later this week.

ISU redshirt freshman Jared Barnett replaced junior Steele Jantz in the first quarter of Iowa State’s seventh game of the season against Texas A&M and has started each game since.

“It’s amazing,” Barnett said. “I wouldn’t say that it’s unlikely because going into this season we knew that we would be at this point. We knew that we would be successful, and we knew that we would make it to a bowl game.”

For Rutgers, sophomore Chas Dodd and freshman Gary Nova will spend the rest of the week eagerly awaiting what coach Greg Schiano has said will be a gametime decision for who will be under center for Friday afternoon’s Pinstripe Bowl.

The emergence of Barnett seemed unlikely in April as he appeared to be a long shot to seize the starting quarterback position from Jantz, junior Jerome Tiller or James Capello. However, after Capello transferred, Tiller was ruled academically ineligible and Jantz struggled with ball security and a foot injury in three straight losses, the Garland, Texas, native took over the reigns and quarterbacked the Cyclones to a 3-2 finish and their second bowl game in three years.

Barnett helped limit Iowa State’s turnovers from 18 with Jantz under center in the first seven games down to 14 and showcased his ability to run the football, carrying 99 times for 435 yards. More importantly, Barnett feels that the trust built between him and his teammates helped Iowa State finish the season with a bowl berth.

“It definitely takes time and experience for your guys to follow you and to really respect you and to earn your trust,” Barnett said. “I feel like I’ve earned my guys’ trust through the games that I’ve played.”

The Scarlet Knights’ quarterback quandry has been a continuous storyline throughout the season as the team will start either Dodd or Nova against Iowa State. As starters, both Dodd and Nova have winning records this season, with the Scarlet Knights winning five of Dodd’s seven starts and three of Nova’s five starts.

“I’d like to have one quarterback and have a backup, but we’re not quite there yet,” Schiano said. “We have two young quarterbacks that are capable.”

A 6-foot, 200-pound sophomore, Dodd admitted that the uncertainty heading into each Saturday of the season could be taxing at times.

“It’s been tough, [because] throughout high school I was starting my sophomore, junior and senior years,” Dodd said. “I’ve just taken the same approach knowing that I have to prepare and be ready for when I do go in, I’m not going to let a chance go by.”

Nova, a 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound true freshman, has been thankful for the opportunity just to compete for the starting job at a BCS-conference school after starring at nearby Don Bosco Prep just a year ago as a high school senior.

“It’s been different, I’ve never had a quarterback competition going into the year,” Nova said. “I didn’t really expect anything, but now competing for the job I’ve been fortunate to start a few games.”

The two speak with different accents – Dodd is from Lyman, S.C., and Nova is from Elmwood, N.J. – but they share a similar style of play on the field.

“I don’t know which one will start [on Friday] but we could definitely use both,” Schiano said. “It’s not like we have a wishbone guy and then a dropback guy. They’re two quarterbacks that are very similar.”

The pair has nearly identical statistics on the season with both throwing for just more than 1,000 yards and Dodd tossing nine touchdowns to seven interceptions. Nova has thrown for 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The similarities in style of play and success on the field has transferred off the field as well, as the two underclassmen have become closer as teammates this season.

“Me and Chas have built a great relationship over the time and there haven’t really been any downs,” Nova said. “We’ve both supported each other and been there for each other.”

Neither envisioned that the starting spot would still be up for grabs heading into the final game of the season, but they’ve been able to balance their competitiveness and their support of each other.

“If you would have told me that [the starting position would still be uncertain before the bowl game] at the beginning of the season, I’m going to tell you that I’m going to beat him out,” Dodd said. “But now it’s not working the way, but we’re working the way we’re doing this right now, we’re competitive and we’re behind one another.”

The last time the Scarlet Knights were in Yankee Stadium back on Nov. 12, Dodd started and threw for 179 yards and two touchdowns en route to a 27-12 Rutgers victory over Army.