Ward stays hot, has 4-0 Miami ‘driven’ for more

TAMPA, Fla. — When Miami landed Cam Ward from the transfer portal in January, the coaching staff felt it landed a game changer.

Ward keeps proving them right, week after week.

In a 50-15 win over South Florida on Saturday night, Ward threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, taking advantage of man coverage the Bulls played on Miami receivers who have emerged as reliable playmakers. Isaiah Horton had 108 yards receiving, Xavier Restrepo had 99 yards and Sam Brown had 75, and they each caught a touchdown pass.

Ward is the first Miami player with at least 300 yards passing in each of his first four games of the season in the past 25 years. Miami has scored 209 points this season, its most through four games in program history.

Miami is 4-0 for the second straight season, but this 4-0 feels different with Ward at the helm, allowing Hurricanes fans to dream big about the possibilities.

“I know Cam’s going to be upset with himself, some of the throws he missed by a hair, and that’s the kind of guy he is,” coach Mario Cristobal said afterward. “He’s always trying to get better. He’s dynamic, he continues to prove he’s dynamic and a game changer for us.”

With the way USF chose to defend Miami, it became obvious the ball would be in Ward’s hands to throw. Even when the pocket broke down, he showed off his ability to scramble and still connect with his receivers, play after play. And while he did miss on a few throws — he made up for those with big plays — including a 76-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Brown down the sideline late in the second quarter that gave the Hurricanes the lead for good.

Miami outscored USF 36-0 to close the game.

“Nobody’s content,” Cristobal said. “We’re excited about the progress. We’re enthused and driven, but we just want to get back to work.”

Miami has set a school record for points scored in the first four games of the season, with 209, passing the 2000 Hurricanes, who scored 201 points through four games. That team fell short of the national championship game but set the stage for 2001, the last time Miami won a title.

If that wasn’t enough, Miami has scored 50 points in three straight games for the first time in program history. When asked what has worked so well for the offense in the first four games, Ward passed credit to his offensive line.

“The trenches is the reason why we’re 4-0, both sides of the ball,” Ward said. “As long as we’re playing good up front, we’ve just got to do our job on the back end, on the perimeter and we’ll be able to win some more games.”

Horton has emerged on the perimeter as a go-to player, after having a breakthrough spring. With Restrepo and Jacolby George returning, and Brown entering from the portal, Horton has been able to find a role and is second on the team with 170 yards receiving.

“It’s awesome playing with Cam Ward,” Horton said. “He’s incredible. I knew that from the jump as soon as he got on campus. He made his mark instantly.”

Ward did not want to talk about the plays he made but rather focused on the plays he missed in his postgame news conference. Still, it’s hard to ignore just what he has accomplished in four games, with Heisman talk now starting.

Ward is the first ACC player in the past 25 years with at least 300 yards passing and three touchdown passes in each of his first four games to start a season.

“I think we can be really good, especially with the plays that we left out there,” Ward said about the team’s potential. “The only thing that can stop us is us. So we’ve got to keep on progressing forward and take every opponent like they’re the No. 1 team in the country.”