Notre Dame Football: Is this the new and improved Ian Book?

After receiving a ton of backlash and hate after how the first half of his season went, Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book has really turned it on and played well over the last three weeks.  Is this the version of Book that Irish fans can expect to see consistently?

Following his season worst and probably career worst game at Michigan where Notre Dame was ran over by the Wolverines by a score of 45-14, many called for Phil Jurkovec to replace Ian Book.

As they should have.

A performance of that standard against Notre Dame’s biggest rival was terrible and the call for change from many fans was seemingly just. Book was not good enough on the day, and his stat line showed it; 8 of 25 for 73 yards and one TD.

However, Book seems to have turned a new leaf since that horrible night at Michigan. While many would argue that Book finding himself after the Michigan game is far too late — and they’re right in saying that — Book has looked a different QB since.

In the next game against VA Tech, Book went 29-53 for 336 yards with two TDs and two INTs. He also added 50 yards on the ground and the game-winning touchdown with next to no time remaining.

Improvement, even though both picks were pretty unforgivable.

Following his VA Tech performance and the infamous ‘shh’ celebration, Book and the Irish took on a tough Duke team away from home. In a 38-7 win, Book went 18-32 for 181 yards, four TDs and another 2 INTs. These interceptions, however, were not nearly as bad and could be blamed on the receivers.

What was more impressive from Book in his performance against Duke was his ability to run the ball effectively. It has been highlighted all season long that Book has ‘happy feet’ in the pocket and that when he does scramble, it’s not effective. Well, against Duke, his running was very effective and gave the Notre Dame offense a new wrinkle in the offense. You saw Chip Long create designed runs for Book and it worked to perfection.

Book ran for 139 yards on 12 carries against the Blue Devils, including a long of 53 yards. As you hear Doug Flutie say on the NBC broadcast nearly every week, Ian Book is a far better athlete than people give him credit for and he is a better QB when he is able to scramble and run. The key is that he is scrambling and running effectively and not panicking.

We move on.

Next game, Notre Dame took on a very tough Navy team. This was likely the best Navy team Notre Dame had seen in years and many people had Navy pulling an upset on the Irish in South Bend.

Book did not let that happen.

Against the Midshipmen, Book tallied 284 yards on 14 of 20 passing for 5 TDs and — more importantly — no INTs. Book was effective, decisive, and dangerous with the ball in his hands. Every time he dropped back to pass, it seemed like Notre Dame was going to hit on a big play.

Now, Navy may not have been as good as advertised. However, this game was HUGE for Ian Book’s confidence and it should show in the remaining games this season.

All in all, the ‘true’ Ian Book is unknown. He has been very inconsistent this season. You have to imagine he is coming back next season though, as he is not NFL-caliber at the moment. So Irish fans, now is the time to get behind Ian Book or keep shouting for Phil Jurkovec.

The destined QB battle of next summer seems very likely.