Why Mario Cristobal’s ‘not surprised’ Cam Ward is playing for Hurricanes in Pop-Tarts Bowl
When the No. 13 Miami Hurricanes missed out on the College Football Playoff and instead found themselves set to finish the season in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against No. 18 Iowa State (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ABC), Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Cam Ward was quick to announce that he would play in the game.
“I’m playing in the game,” Ward said ahead of the Heisman Trophy ceremony earlier this month, adding. “it’s exciting to go out in your college career and try to win your last game.”
It caught many off guard. In this day and age, top players poised to be high picks in the NFL draft tend to opt out of bowl games if they don’t have national championship implications. They want to preserve their future and limit any potential hindrances that might come.
The move did not, however, catch his head coach off guard.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Mario Cristobal said Monday, speaking on WQAM’s “Joe Rose Show.” “I mean, we have unfinished business.”
Ward, playing in his only season with the Hurricanes after two seasons at FCS level Incarnate Word and then two more at Washington State, transferred to Miami ahead of the 2024 season with the intention of winning championships.
UM fell short of those team goals, going 10-2 in the regular season to miss both the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game and a spot in the 12-team playoff field, but Ward had a record-setting season in the process that led to him finishing fourth in Heisman voting and see his draft stock rise to first-round status.
His 4,123 passing yards and 36 passing touchdowns are single-season school records.
His 67.4 completion percentage — which is 14th in the country — stands to be the highest for a Canes quarterback in a single season or a career. Tyler Van Dyke holds both of those marks: 63.7 percent for his career, 65.8 percent in the 2023 season.
Ward has thrown for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns in 10 of Miami’s 12 games and became the first Hurricane ever to produce seven consecutive 300-yard games.
He’s also tied with Houston’s Case Keenum for the most career passing touchdowns (155) at the NCAA Division I level, a record he can claim for his own if he throws a touchdown pass in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Now, he wants to finish the season right by his teammates.
“I think people don’t realize — and a lot of players don’t realize, but they are starting to — the value of the postseason games as it relates to the amount of scouts that attend, the amount of general managers that attend to get another crack at evaluating a guy and bumping up an opportunity to get better and increase their own value,” Cristobal said. “So no, I’m not surprised.”
Cristobal said the team has had “a ton” of scouts at practices over the past two weeks and expects that to be the same again on Saturday.
“Again,” Cristobal said, “it provides a great opportunity for guys to really to showcase, I mean, to win the game, first and foremost, but to also up their value as it relates to the NFL.”
Beyond Ward’s status, however, Cristobal remained mum about any other potential players who might opt out.
“We’ve got a good roster intact and expect a lot out of our guys,” Cristobal said. “We’re ready to roll.”
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