Is there a quarterback in the house? Perhaps that’s the question the Iowa Hawkeyes are asking this very moment.

After a 42-7 loss to Nebraska in its season opener, the trio of sophomore Kyle McCann, junior Scott Mullen and senior Randy Reiners are battling for the top spot on the roster. Currently, McCann is first on the depth chart for the Hawkeyes.

For the Cyclones, quality and quantity are abundant, with juniors Sage Rosenfels and Derrick Walker leading the offense after a season-opening win over Indiana State.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said that the Hawkeyes’ quarterback battle is tight.

“This is a competitive situation. We have three players in contention each with different strengths,” Ferentz said. “The plus is that all three have game experience.”

According to Hawkeye media, McCann is the best passer, Reiners the best scrambler and Mullen is a combination of both.

The 6-5, 190-pound McCann started the opener against Nebraska, completing 11-of-27 passes for 112 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He enters Saturday’s game as the starter.

Mullen also played in the game, going 0-for-3 for zero yards.

Reiners, at 6-3, 200 pounds, was suspended for the opener but returns to action this week as the No. 2 quarterback.

However, Reiners was listed as the first-team quarterback following spring drills.

Reiners is the most experienced of the three, completing 91-of-186 passes in his career for 1,428 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

As a freshman, McCann completed 86 of 159 passes for 1,179 yards, 2 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Mullen, standing 6-6, 210 pounds, has career stats of 29 completions in 61 attempts, 333 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions.

While questions abound about the consistency of the quarterback play for the Hawkeyes, Rosenfels and Walker put up a strong dual showing against Indiana State, erasing some doubt as to whether the Cyclones could win without record-setting Todd Bandhauer at the helm.

Against Indiana State, the 6-4, 218-pound Rosenfels went 8-for-10 for 92 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a touchdown as well.

Walker completed both of his passes for 25 yards and ran for 21 yards in the contest.

Rosenfels is the more experienced player, albeit in a limited capacity, completing seven of 19 passes for 85 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions during the past two seasons.

Walker, a less-heralded 6-2, 228-pound junior college transfer from Blinn Junior College in Texas, wowed the coaching staff with a 7-for-15 passing performance for 64 yards in the spring game.

Head coach Dan McCarney said he was pleased with his quarterback tandem’s performance against Indiana State and that he foresees no problems with using the duo extensively throughout the season.

“There was never any real disruption with the flow of the offense, regardless of who was in there,” McCarney said.

“Overall, I thought, for kids who have virtually little or no experience, they did a nice job running the offense. I’m real happy with both of them, and I have no problem with both of those kids playing every week the rest of the season if they earn it.”

Rosenfels, considered the stronger passer of the two, said he and Walker knew going into the game when each would play.

“Derrick and I both knew coming in what we were going to get, and that was great,” Rosenfels said. “The coaches told us that I was going to get the first two [possessions], and then he was going to come in. He did a heck of a job when he was in there; our offense didn’t drop a step.”

Perhaps Walker’s biggest strength, his scrambling ability, could make him a dangerous weapon for the Cyclones. However, Walker said that while he likes to run, passing also must be a part of the equation for the Cyclones’ offense to gel.

“They said if you can run it, run it, so that’s what I did. I always look to run, but I’d like to throw the ball more, too,” Walker said. “We have a good offensive line and backs, so we are very capable of doing some things.”

Offensive tackle Bill Marsau said that Rosenfels’ and Walker’s performance against Indiana State was indicative of their work in practice.

“They played great, and it was absolutely no surprise to me because we see that every day in practice,” Marsau said. “It’s just nice to be able to come out here and play a game so that some of you can see that for a change, instead of just us knowing it. They’re very capable of passing the ball more than they did tonight and we know it.”

Walker said the passing attack also mustcombine with the running game of Darren Davis and Ennis Haywood to fully ignite the Cyclones’ offense.

“I think that when we have to throw, we can, and when we need to run, we will,” Walker said.

And when the time comes for the Cyclones to open up their offense, receivers like J.J. Moses said they welcome the opportunities to catch passes.

“Both quarterbacks played very well tonight,” Moses said after the Cyclones’ victory. “I look forward to catching passes from both of them this season.”

Still, over the long haul of a football season, quarterback tandems have proven to be mostly ineffective. However, Rosenfels said he thinks that he and Walker can help the Cyclones win.

“I think we’ve gotten a lot closer, and we both know that whatever works for this ball team, we’ll do it,” Rosenfels said. “Whatever Coach Mac asks us to do, we’ll do it. We just have to do our best and make the most of our opportunities when we’re in there.”