IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A new starting quarterback with a sterling prep resume should be reason for optimism at Iowa, which has seen its victories dip three years in a row. But the Hawkeyes and their win-starved fans don’t quite know what to expect from sophomore Jake Rudock. For the first time in nearly two decades, Iowa’s quarterback will take his first career snap in an opener when Rudock starts against Northern Illinois on Saturday.

Rudock emerged from a three-man competition this offseason as the leader of an offense seeking major improvements in 2012. Rudock, a 6-foot-3 native of Weston, Fla., who served as James Vandenberg’s backup last season, held off C.J. Beathard and Cody Sokol to earn the starting job.