Notre Dame Football: Playoff chances very much alive after win over Stanford
By Jacob Wilson
2. Book makes this offense complete
Despite quarterback Brandon Wimbush’s success early in the 2017 season, it was no question that his run-first approach could only take the Irish so far. Nevertheless, backup Ian Book would only see the field in the most desperate of situations. Book made some appearances in garbage time, but his few meaningful snaps would come only in the wake of Wimbush’s poor play or injury.
Despite a strong outing in the 2018 Citrus Bowl, Book’s late-game heroics would not carry him to starting status in Week 1 against Michigan. Instead, Wimbush’s “just good enough” play would keep him in the lineup through Week 3. However, his leash wasn’t long enough to fend off Book in an inviting matchup against an exploitable Wake Forest secondary.
Book was nearly flawless against the Demon Deacons, completing 73.5 percent of his passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns, also adding three scores on the ground. One of the biggest differences between the games of Book and Wimbush is the former’s ability to involve the entire offense, particularly his tight ends.
Not only does this give Long more options to work with when developing a gameplan, it also allows the Irish to utilize some of their top talent. Despite strong recruiting at the tight end position, Notre Dame fans have watched as Alize Mack and Cole Kmet struggled to gain traction in a Wimbush-led offense. Hopefully what we’ve seen so far is a sign of things to come.