Rapid Review: Notre Dame 52, Bowling Green 0
On the game's opening series, 45-point underdog Bowling Green's defense forced a three-and-out and punt by Notre Dame.
That would prove to be the peak moment for the Falcons as the Fighting Irish went on to coast to a 52-0 victory.
The defense pitched its first shutout in five years, while senior quarterback Ian Book finished 16 of 20 through the air for 261 yards and five touchdowns.
1 .TOP 3 STORYLINES
• For the second straight week, Book was 8-of-8 passing in the first quarter. Last week against Virginia it totaled only 68 yards, but this time versus Bowling Green it produced 128 yards with touchdown passes to three different receivers.
• This was Notre Dame's first shutout victory since Sept. 6, 2014, a 31-0 whitewash of Michigan in defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder's second game with the Fighting Irish. Coincidentally, VanGorder is now in his first season at Bowling Green.
• No. 2 quarterback Phil Jurkovec was inserted at the 4:11 mark of the third quarter with the Irish ahead 38-0, and his two series in the game produced 75- and 79-yard touchdown drives. He accounted for 121 yards total offense (79 passing with a touchdown, and 42 yards rushing on four carries).
2. TURNING POINT
The game turned quickly in the first quarter when Notre Dame scored three touchdowns in a span of 4:48 to build a 21-0 cushion.
It began with a 17-yard slant for a score to sophomore tight end Tommy Tremble at 9:32, a 21-yard tally to an open junior tight end Cole Kmet in the seam with 6:51 left, and then a 34-yard post route to senior Chase Claypool with 4:44 remaining.
3. STAT OF THE GAME
Book’s five touchdown passes in the first half to four different targets (with Claypool catching two) were the most ever in a single half by a Notre Dame quarterback, and matched his career high overall set Sept. 14 versus New Mexico.
Notre Dame collectively threw as many touchdown passes (6) as incomplete passes (21 of 27).
The single-game school record is six by Brady Quinn in a 49-23 victory versus BYU on Oct. 22, 2005.
4. GAME BALL
The Notre Dame offensive line provided Book ample time on numerous throws, and also opened holes, especially on the left side, to enable senior running back Tony Jones Jr. to rush for more than 100 yards a second consecutive week (102 on seven carries). The 573 yards of total offense came via 340 passing and 233 passing.
5. HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE
The 45-point spread prior to the game was the second-largest known for a Notre Dame game. The previous reported high was 52.5 in 1989, when the reigning national champion Irish played SMU, which didn’t even have a football season in 1987 and 1988 while serving the NCAA death penalty. That 59-6 Notre Dame win was the school record 22nd straight.
----
• Talk about it inside Rockne’s Roundtable
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @BGI_MikeSinger, @CoachDeDario and @AndrewMentock.
• Like us on Facebook.