By Skeeter Smith
Miami Quarterback Cam Ward received a lot of heat this past weekend after sitting out in the second half of the Pop-Tart Bowl, which eventually led to his team losing to Iowa State. Many are painting Ward as selfish and a diva for not suiting up in the second half to help his team secure victory against the Cyclones.
Most people were shocked that the projected top-5 pick was even suiting up in this game, risking injury and potentially hurting his stock for the upcoming NFL draft. Ward had a dominant first half, throwing for 190 yards and three touchdowns, breaking the Division I passing touchdown record in the process. Miami went into halftime leading 31-28 in what fans thought would be an all-time shootout of a game.
Expectations quickly shifted when backup quarterback Emory Williams took the field for the Hurricanes on their first drive in the second half. That Miami high-powered offense felt like it hit a wall as Williams and the Canes’ offense were only able to score 10 points in the second half, ultimately losing 42-41.
The drop-off in play from Ward to Williams was clear as day. The backup finished the game completing just 5 of his 14 passing attempts for 26 yards and an interception. People were quick to blame the loss on Ward, saying he “quit” on the team and only cared about the record, which in my opinion, is ridiculous.
The reason Miami lost on Saturday is the same reason they missed the ACC Championship and the College Football Playoff: their defense is terrible. Scoring 31 points in a half and only leading by three is a much bigger red flag than Cam Ward deciding to sit out.
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The majority of college football fans would agree that the Pop-Tart Bowl, while fun, is a meaningless game at the end of the day. In an era where even players who aren’t projected to go in the first round sit out of bowl games, Cam Ward had every right to bypass this game completely and focus on draft prep.
As for the record, what’s wrong with a player wanting to go after a historic achievement in a bowl game? This wasn’t a playoff game or a championship game. And even if setting the record was Ward’s primary goal, he accomplished that with four minutes remaining in the first quarter. He could have called it a night right there but instead played the entire first half, adding two more touchdowns and giving his team the lead going into the break.
The hate and criticism Ward has received are both weird and unjustified. We’ve had players who have opted out of entire seasons to prepare for the NFL draft face less backlash than this.
Cam Ward did everything Miami could have asked of him in that first half, and he has nothing left to prove in college football. Instead of pointing fingers at a player protecting his future, we should celebrate Ward’s incredible college career.
