Examining Miami's offensive philosophy in 2024

Three games into the 2024 season, the Miami Hurricanes rank third in the nation averaging 51.5 points per game. They rank second in yards, first in yards per play, and 10th in third down conversion rate.

If you had seen these numbers before the season, you would have thought Miami would be leaning heavily on their formidable backfield that features two-time First Team Pac-12 rusher Damien Martinez, true sophomore Mark Fletcher Jr. and true freshman Jordan Lyle. Not to mention depth pieces in speedy Chris Johnson Jr. and veteran Ajay Allen.

That's not the case, however. In fact, in Miami's 62-0 win over Ball State, Damien Martinez only had three yards on three carries despite being healthy the whole game. How could one of the nation's top running backs be used so sparsely?

The reason is Cam Ward, the transfer quarterback from Washington State who has completely revamped Miami's offense. With a supporting cast of Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George, Houston transfer Sam Brown and breakout tight end Elijah Arroyo, it's no wonder that Ward is the current Heisman Trophy favorite.

Through three games, Ward has the second-most passing yards in the country only behind Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. Ward also leads the nation with 11 passing TDs while completing 73 percent of his passes.