AMES, Iowa (AP) — With one emphatic statement, Iowa State coach Gene Chizik threw all that talk about Iowa State’s desire to use two quarterbacks out the window.

“I would like one guy to win the job,” Chizik said. “Period.”

For sophomores Austen Arnaud and Phillip Bates, the message could not have been more clear. Chizik and the coaching staff desperately want one of them to prove they’re ready to replace Bret Meyer when the Cyclones open the season against South Dakota State on Aug. 28.

Despite the general perception that it’s Arnaud’s job to lose, Chizik said Saturday that the battle for the No. 1 quarterback job is a dead heat. Both Arnaud and Bates will take snaps with the first-team offense during fall practice, and whoever impresses the coaching staff the most over the next three weeks will fill the most glaring hole on the Cyclones’ depth chart.

“Right now it’s 50-50,” Chizik said during the team’s annual media day. “May the best man win.”

On paper, Arnaud seems to be the logical choice. A native son of Ames and the former Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year in high school, Arnaud has seemingly been groomed to replace Meyer since setting foot on campus in 2006.

He looked strong last season as Meyer’s backup, completing 20-of-37 passes for 267 yards, and he’s got a leg up on Bates because of that experience. But Arnaud knows that doesn’t mean a whole heck of a lot right now.

“I got some snaps, but not enough to definitely be completely comfortable. There’s got to be that certain comfort level that I’ve got to gain ... to be the guy,” Arnaud said.

Bates wasn’t even a quarterback last season. The coaching staff was so impressed by Bates’ athleticism that, with Meyer and Arnaud ahead of him on the depth chart, they temporarily moved him to wide receiver. Bates only had five receptions, but his 38-yard catch to set up the game-winning field goal against rival Iowa was one of the high points of a 3-9 season.

Bates was an excellent quarterback at Omaha North High in Nebraska, shattering school records for passing yardage, and Iowa State has been adamant about keeping him at quarterback.

It appeared to pay off in the spring. Despite just a month of work behind center, Bates vastly outplayed Arnaud in the spring game.

“His game has picked up, and it’s gotten to the point now where Austen (isn’t) ahead of him in the execution and knowledge of things,” offensive coordinator Robert McFarland said. “Phillip’s caught himself up to it, and now we have two very talented players battling for position.”

The offensive game plan will be tweaked to fit the strengths of whoever Iowa State ends up picking as the starting quarterback. Both Arnaud and Bates are mobile — and Iowa State is planning to emphasize the running game from that spot this season — but that’s just a small part of what the Cyclones want to see from their quarterback.

“There’s some things that Austen’s probably a little better at than Phillip is right now, and vice versa,” Chizik said. “We’ve got our offense set ... whoever wins the job, we’ll cater more to the things that one of them’s a little better at. But they’ve still got to run a whole offense, and that’s the key.”

Quarterback isn’t the only spot Iowa State has to fill, but it’s the one folks will be paying close attention to this month and likely into the fall. Though there’s a sense of urgency to pick a starting quarterback as quickly as possible, the coaching staff will give Arnaud and Bates the time they need to sort things out on the field.