Irish keep everyone guessing at QB
Brandon Wimbush is the dual-threat athlete who can keep defenses off balance when he is at his best.
Ian Book is the pro-style signal-caller who can find an opening in a defense and quickly exploit it.
Brian Kelly is a happy head coach who insists that No. 8 Notre Dame (4-0) could start either quarterback this weekend against No. 7 Stanford (4-0) and be happy about it. The two top-10 programs will square off Saturday evening at Notre Dame Stadium.
“They’re both going to prepare the way they have,” Kelly said. “Look, it’s important that everybody knows that both of these quarterbacks can win football games for us. That’s the most important thing. So, as coaches, we have to keep both of them sharp.”
Wimbush started the first three contests but has struggled with his accuracy. For the season, he has completed 42 of 76 passes (55.3 percent) for 589 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. He also has 49 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown.
Book has a smaller sample size but has produced better statistics: 28 of 37 (75.7 percent) for 338 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He has 11 carries for 40 yards on the ground.
A reporter riled up Kelly with a bold comment during his weekly news conference.
“If you thought starting Book was controversial last week, try not starting him this week,” the reporter said.
Kelly offered a tongue-in-cheek response.
“Well, thanks for the advice,” Kelly said. “Appreciate that. It’s not often I get it here. I usually get it at home, but getting it here is quite nice, too. It’s a full-time job.”
It is possible that Notre Dame could rotate Book and Wimbush within a game depending on how the coaches view it.
“Absolutely,” Kelly said. “This season is broken into what’s important now. We don’t want to look back. We don’t want to look forward. It’s in the moment. And so whatever is going to get us a win against Stanford this week, if we feel like playing both of them every other series is the best thing to win, we’ll do it.
“We’re not here to please any one group. We’re just trying to win games.”
