Notre Dame Moves To 4-0 After 56-27 Win Over Wake Forest
Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book combined for five total touchdowns to spark a stagnant Irish offense in a dominant 56-27 win over Wake Forest on Saturday at BB&T Field.
Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman dropped back to pass and was sacked by Julian Okwara 3rd-and-7, and Wake Forest was forced to punt on its opening drive of the second half.
The Demon Deacons were within reach only down a couple scores, but after an opening drive punt their hopes of a comeback faded after Book led a scoring drive 74 yards on nine plays capped by his second passing touchdown on a seven-yard strike to Chase Claypool to make it 35-13 with just under 10 minutes to play in the third quarter.
The Irish were able to score on the four drives that followed the Okwara third-down sack.
The Demon Deacons were forced to go to backup quarterback Jamie Newman after Hartman came out of the game banged up in the second drive of the second half. Notre Dame brought a ton of pressure and laid some hits on the freshman.
Wake Forest was unable to get things going offensively after back-to-back punts and an interception by Troy Pride Jr. At this point in the contest, Notre Dame led 49-13. However, the Demon Deacons were able to get two garbage-time touchdowns by Kendall Minton and Newman.
Book threw for 325 yards on 25-for-34 passing and a pair of touchdowns. He also ran for 43 yards and three touchdowns. Jafar Armstrong had another solid opening. The converted wide-out carried the ball eight times for 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Alize Mack had a big first half but ended as Book’s favorite target in the contest. The big tight end caught six passes for 61 yards.
The Irish defense accounted for 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, and an interception. Alohi Gilman was Notre Dame’s leading tackler (9 total tackles).
Wake Forest’s offensive stars were kept in check in the second half. Greg Dortch didn’t account for a catch in the second half, and Cade Carney only rushed once in the second half for no gain. Much of the Demon Deacon offense of the second half came from Newman’s legs. The backup quarterback ran eight times for 73 yards.
Wake Forest was able to force a Notre Dame punt after four straight touchdown drives by the Irish. The Demon Deacons drove down the field 62 yards to give their kicker a shot to make it a 28-16 game going into the half, but Nick Sciba missed his second field goal of the game after getting a second chance after a running into the kicker call on Julian Love. Irish led 28-13 at half, the highest scoring half for the Irish so far this season.
After three straight drives that resulted in nothing offensively, Notre Dame was able to get things rolling on its fourth drive of the game. Wake Forest was able to take a 3-0 lead after a Young fumble, but this sparked the Irish offense. Book led a six-play 75-yard drive in which he was four-for-four for 47 yards through the air on Notre Dame’s first scoring drive that was capped by a 30-yard touchdown run Armstrong to make it 7-3 late in the first quarter.
Book was excellent in the first half, and after a slow start, the redshirt sophomore got the Irish offense going. Book completed 16 of his 24 pass attempts for 189 yards and a touchdown. He also scored a two-rush touchdown in the first half. Mack was targeted seven times in the first half and caught five passes for 56 yard to pace the Irish passing attack. Drue Tranquill led the Irish defense with eight total tackles and a sack that was followed by a 52-yard punt return by Finke.
Carney was a bright spot for the Wake Forest offense running the ball 12 times for 79 yards. The junior also had runs of 21 and 23 yards. The only two 20-yard runs Notre Dame has let up all season. Freshman signal-caller Hartman was under duress in the first half, but completed 10 of his 22 pass attempts for 96 yards. Dortch to no surprise was his favorite target. The sophomore receiver caught six passes for 56 yards. Matt Colburn scored the Demon Deacons only touchdown on the ground for two yards out in the first half.