Cam Ward Shows This Hurricanes Team Is Special And Can Compete For a Title
University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward did more than just put his team on his back. He put the whole Hurricane Nation on his back.
Ward delivered as planned. The Hurricanes destroyed the Florida Gators in Gainesville 41-17 before a record crowd of 90,544.
Ward wanted to play in the Southeastern Conference coming out of college. He was not recruited by any major programs. He went to FCS Incarnate Word in Texas. After transferring to Washington State, the football world was starting to take notice of Ward's ability.
"I always wanted to be an SEC quarterback and play in a stadium like this," Ward said after the game."To come in here and have this kind of success as a team, it makes everything we go through worth it."
The world was placed on notice, not that the University of Miami is back, because it is cliche and worn out. They simply showed they are one of the best teams in the country. They are led by a Heisman candidate for a quarterback who put on a performance that dazzled the nation. Miami played so well that the ESPN commentators even said something nice about them, How about that?
Ward was a cool customer. He was dealing 26-for-35 for three touchdowns. He suffered one interception, but it did not matter in the outcome. Ward gave a Broadway performance on one of the biggest stages. There were 90,544 fans at the game. Ward and his teammates made most of them go home, early and upset.
"You think this game was big," Mario Cristobal asked rhetorically after the game. "It was bigger than you could ever imagine. It was off the charts."
Ward said the crowd did not affect him at all. In fact, he said the artificial noise at practice was louder. He also said when he was as Wazzu, and they traveled to Oregon and USC, those crowds were louder.
"I feel good because this is the most prepared I've ever been since I was in college," Ward said. "I didn't feel the crowd. We scored on the first drive and they quieted down a bit."
"All in all it was an awesome team effort," Cristobal said. "We played without two of our best players and the next man stood up."
The hardest part of the game for Cristobal was getting his prized quarterback out of the game when it was no longer in doubt.
"He didn't want to come out of the game," Cristobal said. "It's awesome. I hope every player on the field is like that and has that mentality."
Ward said he wanted to be with his team on the final snap.
NOTES: The Hurricanes played without defensive tackle Rueben Bain and cornerback Damari Brown who both left the game in the first half with soft tissue injuries. Cristobal expects them to be out at least one week, maybe two at the most........The Hurricanes will next face Florida A&M on Saturday at 6 p.m. After that, they will face Ball State. If there were two games they had to miss, they should be those two.
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Scott Salomon joined On SI in April 2024 covering breaking news and analysis for the Miami Dolphins site, and has since contributed to the Miami Heat, Back in the Day NBA, Miami Hurricanes and San Antonio Spurs sites. Scott is based in South Florida and has been covering the local and national sports scene for 35 years. He's covered and has been credentialed for the Super Bowl, the NFL Combine, various Orange Bowls and college football championship games. Scott was also credentialed for the NBA All-Star game and covered the Miami Heat during their first six seasons for USA TODAY. Scott is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Communication and the St. Thomas University School of Law. Scott has two sons and his hobbies include watching sports on television and binge watching shows on various streaming services.