Bowl Prep: Ian Book vs. Brock Purdy Is A Crucial Matchup

The battle of quarterbacks will play a major role in the outcome of the Camping World Bowl

Photo by Matt Cashore, USA Today

There are a number of vital matchups to watch in the Camping World Bowl matchup between Notre Dame and Iowa State, but the battle of quarterbacks could have the biggest impact.

Fighting Irish quarterback Ian Book and Cyclone signal caller Brock Purdy both had strong statistical seasons, and how each plays has been a huge key to success for their respective offenses.

Purdy finished the regular season ranked 20th nationally in passer rating (153.24) while Book finished the year ranked 35th (148.52). Book finished the regular season sixth in the country in passing touchdowns while Purdy ranked fourth in passing yards, 18th in completion percentage, 19th in passing touchdowns and 21st in yards per pass attempt.

Run stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus

Book’s 2018 stats would have compared much more favorably than his 2019 production. He averaged 306.9 passing yards per game as a starter during the 2018 regular season while completing 70.0 percent of his passes. Book had a passer rating of 161.60 during his eight regular season starts.

His production saw a major dip in 2019, and part of that was his struggles against top competition.

Book was outstanding against Top 50 defenses (according to the Fremeau Efficiency Index) as a junior, averaging 304.3 passing yards per game, completing 66.3-percent of his throws and putting up a passer rating of 163.55 in his eight regular season starts. He was abysmal against Top 50 defenses as a senior. 

Head coach Brian Kelly said analysis should be about data and not emotion. These numbers are quite telling and don’t paint a pretty picture. Book struggled against the ranked Power 5 opponents he faced this season while Purdy shined in those games. Book also struggled against Top 50 defenses, and while Purdy didn’t light the world on fire in those games, he was significantly better than the Irish quarterback.

The good new for Notre Dame is Iowa State ranks 41st in defense, but the Cyclones ranked 70th in the country in passing yards allowed, 69th in pass efficiency defense, 75th in touchdowns allowed and 110th in interceptions.

Purdy, however, will face a Notre Dame pass defense that ranks third in fewest passing yards allowed, third in lowest yards allowed per attempt, fifth in pass efficiency defense and 13th in fewest yards allowed per completion.56

Stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus

Book was much better throwing the ball down the field this season. The numbers above reflect throws of at least 20 yards past the line of scrimmage. Book threw deep at a much higher rate than Purdy, and he was far more effective in those attempts. The Irish passer completed over half of his deep shots, which is a very good rate.

For context, look at how his deep ball numbers compare to Joe Burrow (LSU), Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma), Justin Fields (Ohio State) and Trevor Lawrence (Clemson).

Book - 30-59, 50.8%, 9 TD’s, 3 INT’s
Burrow - 36-64, 56.3%, 19 TD’s, 2 INT’s
Fields - 32-68, 47.1%, 19 TD’s, 0 INT’s
Hurts - 30-60, 50.0%, 10 TD’s, 2 INT’s
Lawrence - 27-63, 42.9%, 13 TD’s, 4 INT’s

Purdy didn’t throw an interception on a deep throw, but his completion percentage and yards per attempt were much lower than Book.

Where Purdy out-played Book was in the intermediate (10-19 yards) and short (0-9 yards) zones. The Iowa State quarterback had a higher completion rate, more yards per attempt, more yards per completion and a higher passer rating.

Book threw fewer interceptions in that zone.

Overall, Book had a lower interception rate. He threw a pick once every 61.8 throws while Purdy threw a pick once every 49.4 throws. Part of that is Purdy is a more aggressive thrower, which helps him make more plays but at times also resulted in more turnovers.

An area where Book has a significant advantage is with his legs. Purdy is a chain-moving type of athlete. He makes good decisions in the read zone and he can step into the pocket and pick up first downs, but he’s not the kind of athlete that a defense must worry about really taking over a game, although he did go over over 100 yards in a win over TCU.

When his game is on, Book is a much better runner as both a scrambler and on designed runs. He is a faster, more elusive and a big-play threat as a runner.

Both quarterbacks had 50 designed runs, but Book averaged 4.8 yards per rush on those snaps, compared to Purdy’s 3.8 yards per attempt. Book also had 351 scrambling yards while Purdy had just 151.

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