SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Ian Book made sure he would end his career as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback without ever losing at home. The Irish did not need every one of his five total touchdowns, but they needed more from the three-year starter than expected in a 45-21 win against Syracuse on Saturday.
Book led a Notre Dame flurry ending the first half to turn a 7-3 deficit into a 24-7 lead and ease any unnecessary tension in both the Irish locker room and the sparsely-attended stands. The two-time captain began the surge with a 28-yard scramble into the end zone before finding fifth-year receiver Javon McKinley on the next drive for the first of his three touchdown catches.