DURHAM, N.C. — Drew White walked toward the exit of Wallace Wade Stadium late Saturday after No. 15 Notre Dame’s 38-7 drubbing of Duke. Before the Irish linebacker turned toward the locker room, located more than a full football field away from where he’d just posted a team-high seven tackles, White saw a photographer drop a camera lens on the turf and keep walking.
Advertisement
“Excuse me, sir?” White spoke up, another key read during a night of them.
Coordinator of recruiting operations Aaryn Kearney scooped up the lens and returned it to the working media. Then Notre Dame continued on its march beyond Duke, wrapping up a game few will remember beyond right now, even if they should. The season’s final three games take on a different focus after a night like this, with the picture for Notre Dame now seen through a different filter.
Yes, the College Football Playoff is long gone after that abominable showing at Michigan. But also yes, Notre Dame (7-2) still has much to play for after putting down Duke (4-5). That theory that the Irish had begun to check out after their primary goal went by the boards? That doesn’t add up when quarterback Ian Book plays his best game of the season, when the defense allows fewer than 200 yards, when Notre Dame makes its passing game work with four available receivers.
“I’ve had a lot of teams that at this time of the year are kind of limping to the finish line,” said head coach Brian Kelly. “This group is feeling pretty good about themselves. They’re practicing hard. They’re physically and mentally in a good spot. I can’t guarantee that they’re gonna win the next three games, but they’re gonna play hard and play the game the right way.”
Whether this year ends in Dallas or Orlando, whether it heads back to the Cotton Bowl or back to the Camping World Bowl, Notre Dame’s season again feels like it’s heading somewhere. That’s because the Irish have figured out how to push back against the narrative that there’s nothing to play for anymore. Doing that first meant proving to themselves they have something to practice for, which the team captains did last week.
After a punitive week of practice coming out of Michigan, Kelly thought about backing off after reestablishing something by rallying past Virginia Tech. Notre Dame’s captains declined that taper before Kelly could make the invitation. They wanted the week of preparation for Duke to feel like the week of preparation for Virginia Tech.
Advertisement
Asking for the hurt on Tuesday and Wednesday made all the difference this Saturday, and maybe the next three Saturdays, too. That Notre Dame’s GPS numbers during November practices exceeded some of their training camp metrics, according to Kelly, means something significant moving forward, even with the potential loss of Julian Okwara for the year following an ankle injury.
“Just because we got the stink off of us and won a close one, the coaches, they had practice going about the same as it was before,” said receiver Chris Finke. “If you’re not motivated playing football even if you can’t make the playoffs, you shouldn’t be doing this.
“I think we had a really good week of practice and it showed on the field.”
It showed most for quarterback Ian Book, whose supporting cast includes more understudies by the week. Notre Dame is already down the right side of its offensive line. Speed threat Braden Lenzy didn’t travel to Duke due to an apparent injury. Michael Young opted to transfer last month. Saturday night marked the first game all season with the full complement of running backs.
Book hit 18 of 32 passes for 181 yards, four touchdowns and two picks, plus a career high on the ground of 12 carries for 139 yards. His 45-yard run in the second quarter was the big play in a drive that put Notre Dame up 21-0. His completions of 23 and 35 yards to Chase Claypool to start the third quarter helped put Notre Dame back up three touchdowns after a brief wobble. His 51-yard run on 3rd and 1 early in the fourth quarter carried another scoring drive that ended in Jonathan Doerer’s 34-yard field goal and a 31-7 lead.
Book became the first quarterback in Notre Dame history to post four touchdown passes and 100 yards rushing in a single game. Statistics aside, there was no doubt from Notre Dame that this marked Book’s best game of an uneven season that has left the Irish coaching staff wanting more.
Advertisement
“This was what we were expecting him to move towards,” Kelly said. “Sometimes it just takes a little bit longer. There are other things going on. Other pressure that he’s now flushed through and he’s gonna get through the worst of it where I believe he’s only gonna get better at things that he can get better at.”
The game-winning drive against Virginia Tech a week earlier helped get Book in the right mindset when he sprinted into the corner of the end zone to beat the Hokies. Three plays earlier, though, may be where Book’s season really turned, when he stood in the pocket on 4th and 10 and ripped a post to Claypool for 26 yards.
The whole thing was a reminder of what Book can be, even if he can’t be Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa or Trevor Lawrence. Notre Dame’s senior quarterback can be more than good enough to carry the Irish offense most weekends. Three repeat performances like this one from Book, and Kelly won’t need to worry about winning out. Because the Irish will.
“I feel like this was my best game,” Book said. “I think it’s a good stepping stone, yeah. I felt very comfortable.
“We wanted to come down there, make a statement, get a big road win. I say it every week, it’s my job to get the ball to the playmakers. I really focused on that all week.”
That showed many places, but maybe nowhere more than Book’s second touchdown, a seven-yarder to Claypool late in the first quarter. Duke blitzed seven. Book threw off his back foot. Claypool ran onto the pass. Easy. It was a blitz Notre Dame practiced against nearly a dozen times on Tuesday, a specific drill for a specific moment. When that moment came on Saturday night, the Irish were ready for it.
“Ian Book is that guy, he works so hard,” Kelly said. “He will eventually benefit from all the work that he’s put in.”
Little about winning at Duke will be remembered when the autopsy of Notre Dame’s season is performed next month. And that’s fine. A Saturday night in Wallace Wade Stadium is not the stuff of legend and never will be. But when Notre Dame players can draw a straight line from asking for harder practices to turning in more complete performances, there’s no reason why that midweek revelation can’t carry the Irish through November’s remaining Saturdays.
Advertisement
“We want the coaches pushing us, don’t want anybody to let up,” Book said. “We’re still playing for a lot of good things here. We want the guys to keep each other accountable. (Coaches) want to win in November as much as we do. We’re all one family. Really just a reminder of let’s keep this up. You guys keep pushing us and we’ll keep leading from our end.”
On Saturday night, Notre Dame followed its own lead. And that’s a picture worth saving.
(Photo: Michael Berg / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)