SOUTH BEND, Ind. _ Notre Dame has scored at least 31 points in five of Ian Book's six starts at quarterback this season.
Syracuse can also put up points. The Orange are seventh nationally in scoring offense, averaging 44.4 points. Quarterback Eric Dungey has accounted for 26 touchdowns.
Book _ who is coming back from a rib injury _ and Dungey lead high-powered offenses into Saturday's game between the third-ranked Irish (10-0) and No. 12 Syracuse (8-2).
Chris Simms is quite familiar with the position. The former Texas and NFL quarterback is a studio analyst for NBC and will be on location at Yankee Stadium.
Book impresses Simms even before the redshirt sophomore's first snap of a game.
"He's been the best thrower in pregame warm-ups in every game I've been to," Simms said in a phone interview Tuesday. "I've been around quarterbacks my whole life and I love to watch them warm up. When I tell you there's one guy you can depend on that was throwing rockets and perfect spirals every throw during warm-ups, he always caught my eye that way."
It has carried over into games. Book leads the nation with a 74.5 completion percentage.
"One common thing I always look at with any good offense is having to defend the whole field," Simms said. "And that's what Ian Book does for Notre Dame."
Book is fourth nationally in passing efficiency with a 170.0 rating.
"He's very good and really special as far as movement in the pocket and buying time to make that throw down the field," Simms said. "He has incredible quickness that way and he can really get the ball out of his hands in a hurry. There's a lot to be impressed with what Book's done to this point."
Book has 1,824 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions.
How will he bounce back from the injury?
"I've had some bruised ribs myself before, and underneath your armpit and where that part of the region is, when you're a thrower, there's incredible torque on that part of the body," Simms said. "If it's really tight, or doesn't feel normal, it's just like anything else, it can make something that you're very natural and normal at, and make it feel not so normal. You're going, 'That's really tight, that really bothers me.'
"Sometimes that can affect your mechanics because you're trying to find ways to throw the ball without it bothering you."
Dungey will provide a variety of problems for Notre Dame's defense. He has 2,193 passing yards and 14 touchdowns. He's also rushed for 690 yards and 12 touchdowns.
"He's not the natural thrower that Ian Book is, but he's a very good thrower," Simms said. "It's his physicality that jumps out to me more than anything. His physicality and fearlessness are a big reason why this Syracuse offense goes."
Dungey holds or shares 16 Syracuse records, including career total offense (10,594 yards). Irish coach Brian Kelly also used "fearless" to describe Dungey.
"It's third-and-3 or third-and-4 in the zone read, and he keeps it, and there's a guy standing right there, you catch and tackle him, and he's going to fall forward for four yards," Kelly said. "He's just a tough guy. And that toughness kind of envelopes that entire offense. It's not a finesse spread offense. There is a toughness to it, and I think it comes from him."
