Georgia Tech Football: Brent Key Describes the Challenges of Facing Cam Ward

Ward is one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy this season and is a projected 1st round pick

Nov 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) looks for a passing option against the Duke Blue Devils during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech (5-4, 3-3) gets back on the field this week after their bye and will welcome in No. 4 Miami (9-0, 5-0). The Hurricanes were ranked No. 4 in the initial college football playoff committe rankings and not only are they bringing their undefeated record to Bobby Dodd Stadium, but they also have a Heisman contender at quarterback.

Cam Ward initially declared for the NFL Draft after entering the transfer portal, but reversed course and opted to come to Miami for one final collegiate season and he has transformed that program. The Hurricanes are favorites to win the ACC and make the College Football Playoff. While they have recruited well and have a good roster, it is undeniable that Ward has put them among the best teams in the country.

Yesterday after practice, Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key gave Ward a lot of praise and talked about what makes him so hard to slow down.

""Yeah well, it's challenging, it's exciting too. Like I said, he is probably the leading Heisman Trophy candidate right now. I mean, They don't just hand those suckers out, but he does. I mean, I think in the Duke game, he had 11 scrambles. Two of those 11 converted for touchdowns. I think Duke did a nice job on a lot of the other ones, but two out of 11 around, two touchdowns. So that's where you have to be careful. They do a good job of continuing to stay active at receiver to get can layer the field in front of the quarterback to give him places to go. He does a good job of while he's running around and moving, of looking away. So you can't really follow his eyes and see where he's looking, because he will look over here in the last second and whip it over to the other side. So we have to be disciplined. We have to keep everything in front of us on defense, which is challenging to say because you look at him sometimes with all the free access throws they have and you want to jump up and press them. At the same time, he gets those crazy scrambles and you've got to keep it in front of you and tackle the ball. You've got to be disciplined with our cadance and we've got to be sure tacklers. We do have to be sure tacklers. He breaks a lot of tackles in those scrambles. He goes left, goes right, pops up the middle, and then by the, you know, some of them, you're talking eight, nine, 10 seconds, some of these are the last."

Key also said Ward and how Miami is so confident in him is a big reason they have been able to win so many close games:

"I think there's obviously a confidence level there. I think that they're confident in the quarterback, confident in his ability to make plays. They're confident in their team that once you win a couple of those, it becomes contagious and you keep going. So, you know, but they have, they've been some close games and they found a way to win and that's the mark of a good football team because they've, it's not like they've won half of them, they won them all. They scored more points in the fourth quarter than they have any other quarter so It's a four-quarter football team. We got to play four quarters."

Can Georgia Tech's defense stop Cam Ward? They have not been a good team at forcing turnovers and getting pressure on the quarterback so far this year, though they are an improved defense from a year ago. Ward does make mistakes at times and how many times Georgia Tech can get him to turn the ball over could be the difference in the game.

Additional Links

Georgia Tech Football: Yellow Jackets Release Depth Chart Ahead of Matchup vs No. 4 Miami

Georgia Tech Football: Everything From Brent Key's Tuesday Press Conference

Georgia Tech Football: Miami's Mario Cristobal Heaps Praise on Haynes King and Yellow Jackets Offens