Ian Book seals his Notre Dame Stadium legacy, with more history left to be made
By Pete Sampson
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — At 6:55 p.m., Ian Book walked up the Notre Dame Stadium tunnel for a final time, flanked by his family after snapping pictures and swapping hugs. They had soaked up these moments from field level after No. 2 Notre Dame’s 45-21 victory over Syracuse, on an afternoon that will be remembered for the four years that preceded it and the four weeks ahead. But for this moment, at least, Book got to think about making history of his own at a college football program where almost everything has already been done.
On Saturday in front of a family, friends and faculty crowd of just 6,831, Book threw for three touchdowns and ran for another two. He won his 30th game as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, breaking a four-way tie with Brady Quinn, Ron Powlus and Tom Clements for the school record. He also helped Notre Dame (10-0, 9-0) to its fourth 10-win season in a row, another first at place where firsts are hard to come by.
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“Bittersweet, definitely a little emotional but I just took it all in,” Book said. “I definitely took a step back and just embraced everything. It’s been an unbelievable journey. I remember my first day on campus, and now I’ll never forget my last game in the stadium.”
There’s a legacy at stake for Notre Dame’s senior class, the backbone of the program’s revival over the past four years, which have included two undefeated regular seasons. Beat Clemson in the ACC championship game on Dec. 19, and Notre Dame football would have another first, taking league hardware home from Charlotte. Win twice beyond the ACC championship game, and this team may be remembered as one of Notre Dame’s greatest, playing through a pandemic and clearing every hurdle in its way.
A national championship in this season of coronavirus testing, canceled games and incomplete seasons would come with an asterisk, no doubt. But that asterisk would mark the champion as having persevered during the most difficult circumstances. It would multiply the significance of the achievement, not diminish it.
To get there, the Irish will need more from Book, who carried them much of Saturday amid an off-brand performance from coordinator Clark Lea’s defense, while the offensive line was shuffled and reshuffled. The Orange produced two 100-yard running back performances, the first two the Irish had allowed all season.
Notre Dame went with its third offensive line configuration in three weeks, then shifted twice more during the game. Tackle-turned-guard Josh Lugg started at center for the injured Zeke Correll, who had replaced the injured Jarrett Patterson. Career reserve Dillan Gibbons got his first start at right guard in Lugg’s place, who had been replacing Tommy Kraemer. The regular right guard was supposed to be an option only in case of emergency, after having an appendectomy two weeks ago, but Kelly said Kraemer pushed to play some in his final home game, and he got some work in the second quarter.
The final results didn’t meet Notre Dame’s late-season standard of constant improvement, though Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree both eclipsed 100 yards, with Williams going over 1,000 for the season. Javon McKinley turned in seven catches, 111 yards and his first three touchdowns of the season.
“It’s extremely gratifying to go and finish the season the way we did,” Kelly said. “The individual things for me, that doesn’t come into the conversation or my thought process. It’s about finishing for our seniors, a win at home, getting Ian Book into the record books as the winningest quarterback in the history of Notre Dame, solidifying our position in the College Football Playoff picture. Those are the most important things.”
Despite an uneven start in which Notre Dame trailed 7-3 early in the second quarter to a team that has now lost eight consecutive games, the Irish did enough to retain the benefit of the doubt. Book’s 28-yard touchdown run, followed by two touchdown passes to McKinley, gave the Irish a 24-7 working margin by halftime.
After another Book touchdown run and another scoring connection with McKinley in the third quarter, Tyree applied some gloss to the box score with a 94-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter.
The freshman’s sprint meant the Irish didn’t have to answer questions about style points. When the next College Football Playoff rankings come out on Tuesday, the Irish should remain a comfortable No. 2. It also meant Kelly got to call timeout with about five minutes remaining to sub Book out of the game on his own to an ovation, a treatment afforded to Manti Te’o in his home finale during the BCS championship game run of 2012.
“He’s a ballplayer. He just does stuff no one can imagine really doing,” said tight end Tommy Tremble. “Like we said, all-time winningest quarterback at Notre Dame. He’s a baller.”
Notre Dame is probably starting too late to mount a serious Heisman Trophy campaign for Book, not that the quarterback seems all that bothered by it. His numbers are what they are, 15 touchdowns against two interceptions to go with 465 yards rushing and another eight scores. It’s a statistical step back from the last two seasons, which only matters when it comes to glamour awards.
It’s the 30 wins that carry the most weight, including the double-overtime takedown of Clemson in November. If the Heisman Trophy is handed out for moments over touchdowns, perhaps Book will have a chance to move up the pecking order two weeks from now against Trevor Lawrence and Clemson. It would make for an unforgettable legacy to become Notre Dame’s eighth Heisman Trophy winner and return the program to the top of that award’s all-time list, no matter how long a shot that appears.
But that’s not first on Book’s list of priorities heading toward the ACC championship game.
Or beyond it.
“I want to win a national championship and if you hear my name, that is what you think of,” Book said. “We still have to go do that, so that’s what I want.”
In a career that has been an overachievement by every metric, that would be the ultimate for Notre Dame and its all-time winningest quarterback.
As Ian Book headed up the tunnel for a final time, he could ponder all that, the last five years of wins and losses, a redshirt and a quarterback competition. It’s been a lot to take in. There’s more to come. The question is how much.
"It's the hope that kills you..."
