Notre Dame Football: 2020 Offensive regular season awards
By Andrew Hall
The progression of the offense helped the Notre Dame football team morph into a significant title contender, finishing the regular season undefeated.
The Notre Dame football team exceeded expectations by ending the regular season undefeated. After starting the season with three straight 3-and-out series against the Duke Blue Devils, the offense would eventually find its stride against Pittsburgh when the Irish wide receivers developed enough chemistry with quarterback Ian Book. Perhaps most important, the Notre Dame offense scored 47 points against the No. 1 in the country.
Sophomore running back Kyren Williams propelled the Irish offense early in the season. While Book and his receivers developed a connection, Williams produced at an extremely high rate. Against Duke, he rushed for 112 yards and caught two passes for 93 yards, in Notre Dame’s third contest, Florida State, Williams rushed 185 yards on 19 carries.
Against the Louisville Cardinals, he helped the Irish scuffle to a 12-7 victory by rushing for 127 yards. It was these early season performances that helped ensure the Notre Dame football team did not stumble in the first half of the season.
Once Book hit his stride, the offense blossomed. In the first four games of the season, Book averaged 178.5 passing yards per game, and he only threw three touchdowns in those four contests. However, the Irish quarterback exploded against the Pittsburgh Panthers.
He threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns in that game, and most importantly, Book played his best football against the top ranked Clemson Tigers. He threw for 310 yards and rushed for 67. He also led Notre Dame on a last-minute drive to tie the game.
These performances and many others helped Notre Dame finish 10-0 in the regular season. Here are the offensive regular season awards for the Notre Dame football team.
Note: Each player could only win one award.