Notre Dame Football: Will the Irish miss Ian Book that much?
Crunch time is here for Notre Dame football with three key November games remaining, and it’ll be without Ian Book for at least one.
Some of the most impactful news of the week in college football came down when Notre Dame football figured out it would be missing rising star junior quarterback Ian Book for its upcoming game. Book pushed Notre Dame football to a level of contention it hasn’t seen since the College Football Playoff was first instilled in 2014.
The Fighting Irish take on a down Florida State Seminoles team in Week 11 that does present a stingy defense. It’s clear that the area that the Irish could be the most vulnerable is with the strength of this Florida State pass rush. The pass rush is the best part of the entire Florida State team in 2018.
However, the counter for Notre Dame to the Florida State pass rush is the running ability of backup quarterback Brandon Wimbush. Book is sneaky with his legs as he’s amassed more than 200 rushing yards and four touchdowns this year. But, he doesn’t come close to matching the speed and overall athleticism that Wimbush brings to the table.
Wimbush is still coming off a season where he posted more than 800 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. Head Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly is sure to draw up some plays that will maximize the strengths of Wimbush and make the adjustment back to a starting role a bit easier for him.
We know that Wimbush won’t match the prowess that Book has in the passing game. That was made apparent with the 15 passing touchdowns and four interceptions that Book has compared to one touchdown and four interceptions for Wimbush. Yet, missing Book in this game isn’t a complete nightmare for the Notre Dame offense since the matchup benefits Wimbush.
Florida State quickly became a team that was an upset favorite pick in Week 11. Barring a letdown on both sides of the ball for the Irish, this shouldn’t be too worrisome. Notre Dame is rolling on offense and defense to the point where a four-win Florida State squad shouldn’t slow them down even with the circumstances at hand.
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It will be more important to get Book back in the mix for Week 12 and beyond. Florida State might be the easiest remaining game for the Irish during the regular season. Wimbush also has the experience needed to salvage a win in a key spot.