The Miami Hurricanes are looking to end a long national title drought in college football, with their last championship win dating back to 2001.
Leading the charge to break that streak is Miami’s star quarterback Cam Ward. On Saturday, Ward kept Miami’s undefeated season intact with an impressive 53-31 victory over the Duke Blue Devils.
The former Washington State Cougars standout delivered another stellar performance, recording 400 passing yards, five touchdowns, and one interception.
Ward’s impressive season stats now see him leading the ACC with 2,476 passing yards and 24 touchdowns.
Ward began his college career at Incarnate Word, where he threw for 6,908 yards, 71 touchdowns, and just 14 interceptions from 2020-21.
After transferring to Washington State, he added 6,963 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions over two seasons.
Miami came out strong in Saturday’s game, jumping to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. However, they were shut out in the second quarter and trailed Duke 21-17 at halftime.
Duke scored on its opening possession in the second half, but Miami quickly responded with 15 points in the third quarter, moving ahead 32-28 by the end of the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Miami’s defense held Duke to a field goal, while the Hurricanes offense added three more touchdowns to secure the victory.
Following Miami’s triumph, Pollack praised Ward’s impact on X, calling him the best player in college football.
“Miami comes back again and takes care of business,” Pollack said. “Cam Ward is the best player in CFB. It will take a complete D to beat him. You can’t have a single weakness. But… His D is far from complete.”
Once unranked as a prospect out of West Columbia, Texas in 2020, Ward has climbed the ranks, eventually earning a four-star rating as a transfer by On3 Transfer Portal Industry Rankings. Miami next takes on Georgia Tech on Nov. 9.