A case for why Cam Ward should have won the Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Trophy ceremony took place on Saturday night in New York City, and the trophy was handed out for the 89th time in its history. Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter took home the hardware by a narrow margin over Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel and Miami QB Cam Ward came in […]
The Heisman Trophy ceremony took place on Saturday night in New York City, and the trophy was handed out for the 89th time in its history. Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter took home the hardware by a narrow margin over Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel and Miami QB Cam Ward came in a distant third and fourth, respectively.
Ward, despite coming in fourth, unequivocally had a Heisman-worthy resume. And, in fact, he arguably had a winning one, at least in your typical year.
Ward completed 67.4% of his attempts for 4123 yards and 36 touchdowns with 7 interceptions. He also added 196 yards and 4 more touchdowns on the ground. He was second in the nation in passing yards and first in passing touchdowns.
More importantly, the impact of his play on Miami's offense – and team overall – was unmatched. Behind Ward's play, the Hurricanes' offense finished the regular season as the highest scoring unit in the country at 44.2 points per game while also finishing first in total yards per game (538.2).
Aside from the numbers game, Ward's stellar play lifted Miami in key moments during the season. The final drive to go ahead against Virginia Tech, and the 25-point comeback win against Cal were among them. The opener against Florida, a 41-17 Miami win, was nearly flawless.
Unfortunately, Miami's defense failed Ward and the Hurricanes. Had it not been for Miami's leaky defense late in the season (leaky being a kind description), Miami could have been 12-0 or 11-1, and Ward's candidacy and chances would have been far greater. It's not his fault that his defense completely fizzled out, but he assuredly took a hit in the voting because of it.
And while the performances of Hunter and Jeanty at their respective positional groups were rare, let's face it. Quarterback is the toughest position on the field to play, and Ward performed at a level that made him clearly the best quarterback in the nation this season – even if the Heisman voters did him dirty by voting him behind Gabriel, who was behind Ward in a major way statistically.
Ward had an unforgettable season and is permanently enshrined at the University of Miami as a first team All-American (AFCA). His legacy deserves to live on in Coral Gables. It's just a shame that he wasn't able to bring home the hardware from New York. Because he assuredly made a strong case for it.
