* Vince DeDario contributed to the reporting and analysis included in this article
The Irish had a balanced day on offense against the Cavaliers, producing 165 yards through the air and 178 on the ground for a total of 343 yards.
Still, Notre Dame struggled on offense in several facets. The offensive line was average at best when it came to run blocking and Ian Book seemed to regress a little, seeming frequently flustered.
By looking at each offensive player’s Pro Football Focus grade and the number of snaps they played, Notre Dame averaged a 67.2 overall rating.
One issue with this overall offensive grade is that Book’s struggles have a more significant impact on the team’s productivity than any other position on the field (more on his performance shortly).
Therefore, the grade should probably be lower than what it is.
Offense Overal PFF Grade: 67.2 - "Average"
QUARTERBACK
Areas Where Book Stood Out Positively
Ian Book — Because only one quarterback played in this game for the Irish, I will focus on what Book did well in this section.
While his overall performance was subpar, people forget that Book completed his first seven passes of the game and looked good coming out of the gate. That included a deep drag to Chris Finke for a 28 yard gain.
He also hit Cole Kmet 37 yards down the field on a corner route in the second quarter but after that, Book seemed indecisive.
Room for Improvement
Ian Book — Though he did take some deep shots, the problem is that after 25 minutes in the game, he seemed to stop looking downfield. Even early in the first half, there were times that Kmet got wide open down the field as soon as Book’s feet started dancing and he moved outside of the pocket and was no longer in position to push the ball downfield.
At Brian Kelly’s press conference yesterday, he talked about how Book needs to be more decisive — not a characteristic one hopes to hear about a starting quarterback.
What make’s watching him so frustrating at times is that you also see him stand in the pocket amidst pressure and fit the ball into a tight window.
His first throw of the game came on third and five from the Irish 30 yard line. Virginia linebacker Zane Zandier blitzes, gets picked up by running back Tony Jones, and keeps the play moving towards the quarterback and gets a hand in Book's face.
