Notre Dame Football: Book nearly perfect in 2018 starting debut

3. After today’s performance, this is Ian Book’s team

Hopes were high for the Notre Dame offense under offensive coordinator Chip Long, the former offensive coordinator of a Memphis team that finished in a two-team tie for 15th in points per game under his coaching. There was a hope that his creative play calling would open up some easier passes for Wimbush, but this thought never came to fruition.

One of the simplest explanations for this is that Long’s Memphis offense featured a quarterback much different than Wimbush. Riley Ferguson, a pro-style quarterback compared to the dual-threat Wimbush, completed 63% of his passes for 3,698 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 2016.

Looking at the quarterback landscape for Notre Dame, it’s not hard to tell which signal caller fits the mold for this Chip Long offense. A combination of Wimbush’s effectiveness in the run game and mixed reviews for Book made for a difficult decision in 2017, but neither of those factors seems to be playing a part this season.

All things considered, Book was great today, completing 73.5% of his passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns, also contributing three scores on the ground. The offense was clearly more dynamic under Book, and despite Kelly’s comments in regard to a quarterback by committee approach, Book will control his own destiny as a starting quarterback from here on out.