It’s not the biggest sin for Cam Ward to miss the second half. But Miami doesn’t look good.
We are all aware of the period in which college football is playing.
While you can, get what you can. The power is with the players. Loyalty? Not at all.
The majority of this is okay. Ten years ago, some people wanted to pretend that if NFL players chose not to participate in pointless bowl games, the sport would fail. When they choose to participate, you’re pleasantly delighted. The world continues to spin while we adapt.
However, what transpired with Miami quarterback Cam Ward in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday still bothers me.
Ward, a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, stated he was playing before the game. He also fulfilled his promise. However, the fact that he was just playing for the first half was something he failed to mention.
Shortly enough to toss three touchdown passes, bringing his career total to 158 and breaking the NCAA Division I record held by Case Keenum since 2011.
Ward then put an end to it as his Miami teammates continued to fight, ultimately losing to Iowa State 42-41.
Is it the worst sin in the world? No, of course not.
Ward is free to choose whether or not to play. Miami won ten games and nearly qualified for the College Football Playoffs thanks in large part to him. Furthermore, these bowl games are now essentially exhibitions, as everyone is aware. For heaven’s sake, they sprinkled the field’s perimeter and provided the victorious squad with a gigantic Pop-Tart to consume. It’s not that significant.
It appears from Ward’s handling of this that he was only interested in breaking the record and then pulled away after he did.
It’s not a good look for Miami, the sport, or Ward. Furthermore, head coach Mario Cristobal ought not to have permitted it.
You can either stay at home or play the game and try to help your team win. Why play at all if your fear of injury prevents you from playing the second half? Nothing about it makes sense. Additionally, neither Ward nor Cristobal provided any genuine clarification, as the coach informed reporters that his discussions with the quarterback were confidential.
I don’t want to treat Ward too badly. After the Pac-12 collapsed a year ago, he was torn between playing his final collegiate season elsewhere or entering the NFL Draft after leaving Washington State. In the history of a program that has produced many excellent quarterbacks, the season he assembled at Miami was possibly the best.
Ward was entitled to leave on his own terms. And no one would have objected if he had just chosen not to play in the bowl game.
Although chasing records is a component of athletics, it is impolite when an athlete compromises team performance to do so.
It would have been great if Ward had been available to lead his team down the field when Miami regained possession with 56 seconds remaining and needed a field goal to win the game.
Rather, Emory Williams, the sophomore backup, was engulfed and was unable to get the ball past the 50-yard line.
It’s obvious that Ward never planned to treat this final chance to play college football with the respect it deserved, even though he couldn’t have predicted the game would end that way. Rather, he utilized it as a means of entering his name into the records.
Ward will always bear the responsibility for this defeat for his team, but congrats on the Pyrrhic win
