What NFL Circles Are Saying About Cam Ward: Week Ten
After Cam Ward's least prolific statistical performance of the season against FSU, it did not take long for him to get back on track and light up the box score again this week in Miami's ninth-straight-win versus the Duke Blue Devils.
The, now, Heisman co-frontrunner was 25-of-41 for 400 yards, five touchdowns and an interception on Saturday afternoon.
The Canes found themselves down 17-21 at halftime and 17-28 five minutes into the third quarter, but there was never any shake to the star quarterback's confidence in leading a come-from-behind effort to preserve their undefeated season.
In the second half, five of their seven offensive possessions went for touchdowns, with Ward showing the elite efficiency and growth that we have tallied here every week.
The star quarterback threw three touchdowns to only four incompletions in the final two quarters, while showing his usual tremendous downfield accuracy.
Cam with ANOTHER TD strike 😳🎯
— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) November 2, 2024
📺: ABC#GoCanes | #HE1SMAN pic.twitter.com/fE6Z6B4eFc
However, the second half also showed the other side to the Cam Ward experience, as the two drives not ending in touchdowns both ended in turnovers from Ward.
His second half interception showed a very glaring example of what scouts have repeatedly noted as Ward's most defining weakness, his recklessness.
#Miami QB Cam Ward vs. Duke
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) November 4, 2024
On the bad crossbody INT, he had some opportunities to get rid of it.
Full-field left-to-right read vs. Cover 6. RB in the flats was likely the most realistic option. These are the types of decisions that he has to eventually eliminate. pic.twitter.com/vtyz21A6b2
A true example of the cardinal sin of quarterbacking, as ESPN Draft Analyst, Jordan Reid, displays in the tweet above.
At this point, Miami has a one score lead early in the fourth quarter on a third-and-five just past midfield. Ward disregards every situational aspect of this play, electing not to take the check down to his running back that would've moved the chains, or even to just throw it away and pin the struggling Blue Devil's offense deep in their own territory.
He instead throws an egregious, cross-body interception that should be erased from quarterback's games at the lowest levels, and sets up Duke with great field position and a chance to take momentum back.
It wouldn't be the true aforementioned 'Cam Ward experience' if he didn't match a mistake like that with a play that only a few quarterbacks in the world can pull off.
Just some more Cam Ward magic for your timeline 🪄
— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) November 2, 2024
📺: ABC #GoCanes | #HE1SMAN pic.twitter.com/OpPUUF7iQX
At this juncture of the season, the former play has a lot more impact on scout's evaluations than the ladder, and this week's batch of mock drafts reflected that exact premise.
Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports): 3rd (QB1)
Bleacher Report Scouting Department: 5th (QB2)
Daniel Harms (The Draft Network): 4th (QB1)
Ian Valentino (The 33rd Team): 4th (QB2)
A week after Ward's QB1 momentum was surging and even garnering number one pick hype, the gap between him and Colorado's Shadeur Sanders is as narrow as ever. It's truly a two man race; however, the recent scouting returns say it's a safe bet that both are nearly locks to be a top ten selection at least.
Ward's combination of natural gifts and underrated refined footwork and mechanics could be what gives him the edge over Deion Sanders youngest son. The Colorado signal caller possesses a more natural combination of touch and accuracy, but does not have the same physical tools of Ward.
It remains evident that the true defining moments of Ward's scouting process has yet to come. Their main adversary in the ACC, the Clemson Tigers, suffered their second loss of the season at the hands of the Louisville Cardinals, which means a potential matchup in Charlotte would be Clemson playing for their playoff lives.
How Ward performs in that environment could be the separating factor in that race. For the time being, the Canes's will almost certainly be double-digit favorites in each of their final three games.
The current three-seed Hurricanes will travel to Atlanta, Georgia this week to take on the 5-and-4 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, as they seek their first 10-and-0 start since 2017.
