Notre Dame: Phil Jurkovec was Unsung hero vs. Bowling Green

Notre Dame backup quarterback Phil Jurkovec stepped in and had a nice game, giving Irish fans confidence in the depth at the position.

Saturday afternoon was really just a nice chance for Notre Dame to get the offense and the young players rolling again, gain some confidence going into a pretty tough October, and just dominate a football game.

That’s exactly what happened.

The offense was really solid on the ground and through the air, along with the defense making plays throughout the entire game and posting a shutout in a 52-0 victory.

In my score prediction, I said I would have been disappointed if Ian Book didn’t complete 80 percent of his passes. Welp, he did just that, completing 16 of 20 for 261 yards and five touchdown passes.

We didn’t see much of the first unit on both sides of the ball in the second half, because it was well out of hand by then. The one guy that really came out and showed a ton of confidence running the offense and executing against Bowling Green was the successor of Ian Book himself, quarterback Phil Jurkovec. He absolutely earned this weeks Unsung Hero against the Falcons.

Jurkovec came in and went 5 of 7 for 79 yards through the air and had a really nice touchdown pass out in the flat to running back Avery Davis — which was his first touchdown pass of his Notre Dame career.

Not only did he look comfortable in the pocket when he stood in there, he also made several plays with his feet, rushing four times for 42 yards in the second half. He made good decisions, was elusive and slippery when he took off running and really got an opportunity to showcase what he’d be able to do if he was called upon anytime during the rest of season.

The kid is a special athlete that happens to be the prototype dual-threat quarterback who can really change a game when he’s able to utilize his athleticism. It’s been exciting to see him grow just in the past few months after a lot of criticism throughout the Spring.

Saturday showed that improvement and it’s a big reason Jurkovec is the Unsung Hero against Bowling Green.

Moving forward, I expect him to continue improving and gaining confidence in the offense. If he’s needed, there’s no doubt offensive coordinator Chip Long will have enough confidence in him to go out and win a ball game running his offense. He’s more than capable as the backup and the possible future of the Notre Dame offense.

Until then, Southern Cal is headed to South Bend for a Saturday night showdown. I think we’d all love to see Jurkovec late in the game due to another one-sided affair in favor of the Irish.