Cam Ward had a standout first half, racking up 190 yards and tossing three touchdown passes. However, after reaching a consensus with the coaching staff, Ward sat out the second half and missed the final drive. Stepping in for Ward, Emory Williams fell short of leading Miami to a game-winning field goal.
Miami was lucky to reach ten wins this season. The Hurricanes suffered injuries and tried to rally with inexperience in the secondary. The team's defensive scheme may or may not have factored in their poor performance. But, it was an impending problem waiting to rear itself.
Ward was right not to get into the game in the second half. He would've tried to play the hero on the last drive and he would've gotten injured. He helped the team score 41 points. The defense gave up 42 points, not Ward.
NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay tweeted out the following on Ward's absence.
I appreciate that Cam Ward, in this day and age in CFB, played at all. But I just can’t imagine starting any game with teammates, especially as a quarterback, and electing to pull myself out while my teammates are still trying to finish the job in a back-and-forth battle.
— Todd McShay (@McShay13) December 28, 2024
I’m a…
Williams drove the team to a score in the second half. The Canes decided not to go for it on fourth down from the three-yard line up 38-28. Iowa State went for it on fourth down and scored to win. Iowa State had been gashed by Damien Martinez all game. It wouldn't be a stretch to think the offensive line could muster three more yards to win the game.
Hurricane defense had been poor all season
Iowa State's offense drove the ball "down the throats of the defensive players all day." Cam Ward made enough of a difference. Simeon Barrow and Marquise Lightfoot fought on the sidelines during the second quarter. The defense's performance was so poor, it arguably could've sat out and let Iowa State's offense run plays.
Ward's success masked the defense's faults. The "next man up" mentality in sports puts a lot of weight on inexperienced players. Zaquan Patterson had a critical holding penalty to sustain the Cyclone scoring drive. The loss of Damari Brown was severe to the team. As per the Miami Herald, the team has started to bolster the secondary.
All season, the Hurricanes' defense suffered from ghosts and expectations. The ghosts? Cortez Kennedy, Michael Barrow, Bernard Clark, Sean Taylor, etc. The expectations were from the Louisville and Duke victories. Every Hurricane team will suffer this in the future. Coach Cristobal has "his work cut out for him."