Tag: best qb

Notre Dame football: Book earns more hardware in win over BC

After another stellar showing against Boston College, Ian Book received national praise as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback

Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book continues his steady rise the last couple weeks after playing another great game at Boston College over the weekend.

Book has turned into a fringe Heisman Trophy candidate and although that appears incredibly unlikely for him to ultimately win, him being a finalist all of a sudden doesn’t seem so crazy.

Additionally, the Notre Dame signal caller was named a Manning Award Star of the Week after his efforts against Boston College, the third time Book has been named a winner during his career and first in 2020.

Notre Dame’s official release on Book’s award can be read below:

NOTRE DAME, Indiana — Adding to his honors following the 45-31 win over ACC rival Boston College Saturday, graduate student quarterback Ian Book was named a Manning Award Star of the Week for his performance.

Fans can vote for Book to be named the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week by visiting https://bit.ly/VoteIanWeek11 and “liking” Book’s photo. Voting closes Thursday at Noon ET.

It marks the third time in Book’s career that he has been named a Manning Star of the Week, and first time this season. The honor comes on the same day Book was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 List for Week 11 and recognized as honorable mention for the CFPA National Performer of the Week.

In Notre Dame’s eighth-consecutive win of 2020, and 14th-consecutive overall (the longest streak in the FBS), Book went 20-of-27 for 283 yards and three touchdowns, with zero interceptions and zero sacks for a 198.8 QB rating. He also added 10 rushes for 85 yards and a touchdown.

With a 74.1 completion percentage, Book led all ACC quarterbacks on the weekend. Book was also the only ACC quarterback not to take a sack this weekend (among eligible QBs), and his 10.48 yards/attempt were the second-most in the ACC for the week.

Book has now totaled 195-consecutive attempts without an interception, which is the third-longest active streak in college football, and the longest streak among all Power 5 players. It ranks second only to Brady Quinn’s 226 in 2006 (Michigan State to Army) in Notre Dame records.

Book was the only ACC quarterback on the weekend to throw three touchdowns and zero interceptions, while also avoiding any sacks. Ranking tied for eighth nationally in touchdown passes on the weekend, of the seven quarterbacks who threw more, three of them threw interceptions, and only one of those seven was not sacked. Book’s 198.8 passer rating Saturday ranked sixth on the weekend among all FBS quarterbacks.

Accounting for four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing), Book’s game marked the first time a Notre Dame player has been responsible for four or more touchdowns in a single game since he did it at Stanford in 2019. Book has led the Irish to score 45 or more points in two-consecutive games for the first time since 1996 (vs. Pitt 60-6, vs. Rutgers 62-0).

Entering Saturday, Boston College’s scoring defense ranked fourth in the ACC, allowing 24.6 points per game. Notre Dame surpassed that mark in the first half alone with 31 points in the first 30 minutes.

The Irish return to play Friday, November 27, when they travel to play North Carolina in Chapel Hill (3:30 p.m. ET on ABC).

Touchdown Wire’s countdown of the NFL’s best players

This summer at Touchdown Wire we are naming our top players at each position, working towards the Top 100 in the league.

This summer here at Touchdown Wire we are counting down the best players at every position, starting on the defensive side of the football. At the conclusion of these positional lists, we will unveil our own version of the NFL’s Top 11.

For each position, the players are ranked based on both extensive film study as well as taking advanced player metrics into account. Players that appeared for 50% of their team’s snaps at a given position are considered, meaning players that were absent last season for numerous games due to injury are ineligible for inclusion.

In addition, for many positions the “Honorable Mentions” are listed, that include players that just missed the cut or players you might expect to see, but were ineligible due to injuries or other reasons. Some of the best “units” are also discussed for various positions.

Here are the position lists to date. This will be updated as more position groups are announced.

Defense

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Slot Cornerbacks – Given the prevalence of nickel and dime packages in today’s game, the slot cornerback is a starter in the modern NFL. As such, teams need talented players at this position. Here are the best the game has to offer.

Safeties – Offenses in the NFL rely on creating – and exploiting – matchups. As such, defenses in today’s game need players that can handle various responsibilities. That tends to fall on the safeties, where versatility is the name of the game.

Outside Cornerbacks – What players do you trust on an island in man coverage? You could probably start with this list.

Linebackers – With today’s emphasis on getting lighter and faster on defense, linebackers are becoming almost a dying breed. That does not diminish, however, what the players on this list bring to their units.

Edge Defenders – Offensive coordinators face some sleepless nights in the days leading up to playing these pass rushers.

Interior Defensive Linemen – Sure, Aaron Donald is the clear man at the top. What about the rest of the bunch?

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