Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons Ian Book should be a Heisman candidate

3. Dual-threat ability

We’ve talked a lot about Ian Book’s arm talent but what;s also contributed to the Irish’s offensive burst, is his ability to run. Book only has 87 yards on the season but his numbers in the two games versus Wake Forest and Stanford, give him the credit and respect he is due.

In Book’s first game as starter, he ran the ball 10 times, averaging just over four yards a carry. Not bad, right? But what’s crazier is that in addition to his two passing touchdowns, he also found the end zone on the ground not one, two but three times that game.

Book didn’t find the end zone on his feet in their game against Stanford, but was able to rush for 47 yards, averaging 3.0 yards a carry. And three of Book’s 15 attempts picked up big time first down’s for the Notre Dame offense.

The junior quarterback doesn’t have the flash you’d expect in a dual threat quarterback but has great ability to be able to make first downs and keep drives alive in crucial situations. Book’s ability to tuck it and run adds to his clutch gene, something that is looked for in determining a Heisman winner.