Extra Point: PFF is Loving Cam Ward and the Miami Hurricanes Offense
With its weekly rankings system, Pro Football Focus has become a semi-reliable barometer into examining the play of core positional groups week in and week out in college football.
This week, the Miami receiving corps tops the charts among the entirety of Power Four teams across the country with a rating of 88.1. Of course, the receiving corps would not have the grade it does if it wasn't for the cool, calm and collected signal caller Cam Ward.
The passing offense in its totality is good enough for second in the country, while the total offensive grade is good enough for fifth in the country. That rating, paired with a defensive rating good enough for second overall among power five teams, has been a lethal combination despite the small sample size of only four games.
It's not just Pro Football Focus that's showing the Hurricanes some more love this week, either. The ACC selected Ward as its quarterback of the week for his efforts against USF, and the Hurricanes were able to move up a spot in the AP Top 25 after improving to 4-0 on the season.
Ward and company were pressured up front at times against USF, but Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal gave fans some exciting news this week in alluding to the return of left tackle Jalen Rivers to the starting lineup against Virginia Tech for the team's first ACC matchup of the season. Rivers last saw action in the season opener against Florida.
With a key contributor to his pocket protection reentering the fold this week, the Cam Ward show rolls on to what is expected to be a packed out Hard Rock Stadium in Week Five.
TANNER MARLAR