Iowa State DC Jon Heacock Raves About Irish Offense & Ian Book
Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock spoke glowingly about Notre Dame's offense as the Cyclones prepare for Saturday's Camping World Bowl.
"As you study them, I think you see outstanding players all over the field," Heacock stated. "The offensive line is tremendous. The quarterback is playing at a high level and making great decisions. The wide receiver corps are skilled. The tight end group is as good as we've seen all season long. The running backs are big physical guys that work the ball down the field."
Notre Dame's offensive weapons have made plays for most of the year, but Heacock also raved about the Irish offensive scheme.
"From a scheme standpoint, you see a really balanced team," explained Heacock. "We go through our season and scout teams and break them down.
"There is no breaking points with Notre Dame's offense. Those guys have done a tremendous job. They're never the same in anything. They do what their concepts are, they do a great job of those and they really force you and put you in a lot of conflicts.
"They force you to be disciplined players. They force you to be in gaps. They force you to cover your people. They force you to play your zones.”
The Irish will enter the Saturday's game ranked 13th in scoring offense at 37.1 points per game and it starts with quarterback Ian Book.
"The schemes are very high-level," said Heacock. "They do a great job of keeping you in conflict as a defensive coach.
"He has the ability to make plays last. He can make the play last on a run or a scramble. We have to do a great job in those areas. The bottom line is he is a really good player. He's a veteran guy out there. He's very confident in what he does."
Book has thrown for 2,787 yards, 33 touchdowns and just six interceptions while adding 516 yards and four more scores on the ground.
And while Notre Dame fans might want a change at quarterback, Heacock views Book as a dynamic player.
"I think he’s kind of a combination of guys,” Heacock said. “As far as teams are concerned, you look at Texas. You look at the Baylor quarterback, a little bit of Jalen Hurts in there for sure.
"He’s kind of a combination of all the guys we’ve played. He kind of brings it all together and I think that’s what makes him really challenging and I think that makes him a good football player.”