Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward, a potential top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, set the NCAA Division I record for touchdown passes during his bowl game appearance on Saturday and then sat for the second half.
Ward and the Hurricanes played the Iowa State Cyclones in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Ward set the mark with a touchdown pass in the first quarter to Jacolby George. It brought him to 156 career touchdown passes. Emory Williams started the second half, and Miami went on to lose the game, 42-21.
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal was asked about the decision after the game.
"All meetings with players, and decisions like that, we made them in private, we keep them in private," Cristobal said, via ESPN. "So, I'll prefer not to answer any questions as it relates to that. But I know he played his best while he was in there."
Ward’s decision caught the attention of social media as well.
The quarterback broke Case Keenum’s record. Keenum set the Division I – FBS and FCS – record from 2007 to 2011. He had 155 touchdown passes with the Houston Cougars.
"Just blessed, man," he told WQAM Radio. "I think I’ve grown so much as a person this year, outside of football. This is the best team that I’ve been around . . . I was just blessed to be here."
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel is on the cusp of passing Keenum’s mark as well. He has 153 touchdown passes in six seasons. He could get close to breaking the mark in the College Football Playoff.
Ward may be one of the first of a few talented quarterbacks taken off the board in the spring when the draft begins. Shedeur Sanders, Quinn Ewers and Carson Beck are among the top prospects.
"I think Cam’s DNA, his upbringing, everything that he is made of and stands for is the right kind of stuff; the stuff you want your team made of," Cristobal said. "He’s had a tremendous impact on our community, our team, our program, alumni."
The Rams won their fifth in a row, and their ninth in their last 11 games, by taking home a 13-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday.
It was slow and steady to win the race, and no points were scored in the first quarter, but a Kyren Williams touchdown and Joshua Karly field goal in the second put the Rams up 10-0 at half.
In the third quarter, though, Trey McBride finally got on the board, scoring his first touchdown of the season, and even he couldn't help but thank the heavens. However, the PAT was blocked, which would bite Arizona.
Chad Ryland kicked a chip shot field goal in the fourth, but because of the missed extra point, they still trailed by one. Karly added a field goal of his own to make it a 13-9 L.A. lead, and the Cardinals offense, which had trouble scoring all night, was forced into needing a touchdown.
With this contest already having nine punts, Kyler Murray looked for Marvin Harrison Jr. in the end zone, but he was picked off. The Rams were unable to get a first down, though, and the Cards had one more chance with 2:01 left and two timeouts.
Suddenly, the Cardinals put it together, and they got to the opposing 5-yard line, but Murray threw another interception that was off the hands of McBride in the end zone and caught off a dive by Ahkello Witherspoon to all but end it.
It was rather sloppy for both offenses; Stafford was just 17 for 32 for 189 yards and didn't throw a touchdown, but it was enough. Of those yards, 129 went to Puka Nacua. Murray, meanwhile, was 33-for-48 for 321 yards, but his one touchdown and two costly turnovers would prove to be too much for the other numbers to overcome.
The Rams could clinch the NFC West on Sunday, but they need quite a few things to happen. At the end of the day, they do control their own destiny, and they will face the Seattle Seahawks in the season finale, which could be for the division title.
Of course, Sanders doesn’t actually know where he’s going, but currently, the New York Giants hold the No. 1 pick, and it'll be difficult for them to relinquish it.
Well, Sanders made due on his promise.
He had red and blue cleats that even featured a Giants logo made for him, according to Nomad Customs.
Sanders was not spotted wearing the cleats on Saturday.
Sanders isn’t the only Colorado Buffalo donning special cleats – Travis Hunter is wearing Heisman-themed kicks two weeks after winning the prestigious award.
At the beginning of the season, the class seemed to be pretty stacked with Sanders, Cam Ward, Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe, but the former two quarterbacks have separated themselves from the pack this year.
Big Blue is the only team in the NFL this season with two wins – the Las Vegas Raiders were on pace to own the pick, but they won their third game of the season last week.
New York will take on the Indianapolis Colts in their final home game on Sunday – with a loss, the Giants will become the first team to go 0-9 at home in a season.
It remains to be seen whether general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will still be in East Rutherford in a couple of weeks, but it seems pretty certain that Sanders might head to New Jersey, no matter who is in charge.
