Ward leads ‘Canes football all the way back in late night win 39-38 vs Cal

Photo credit via Miami Athletics

It was nearly 2:30 in the morning for all of the Miami Hurricanes fans watching on the East Coast as Miami, down six with less than two minutes left on the clock, was trying to complete a 25-point comeback. After being down 35-10 early in the third quarter, Miami now had the ball with under two minutes left deep in their own territory. 

On the first play of the drive, Miami quarterback Cam Ward hit Mr. Reliable himself, Xavier Restrepo, for a 77-yard reception. Then, sophomore wideout Isaiah Horton caught a five-yard pass but after the play, Horton got called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which moved Miami back to Cal’s 25-yard line. 

California Memorial Stadium started to get loud, trying to rattle the Hurricanes as the seconds started winding down toward zero. What Cal fans found out is that nothing phases Ward and the ‘Canes.

Ward connected with running back Damien Martinez for a 22-yard pass to make it first and goal. At the Cal five yard line, Ward maneuvered through the pocket and hit an open Elijah Arroyo who went tumbling into the endzone for a Hurricanes touchdown. They would take a 39-38 lead and win the game on an Andres Borregales-made field goal.

Cristobal said after the game, “It’s the best example of resiliency, toughness, no quit mentality that I’ve ever been fortunate enough to be a part of.”

After some sloppy defensive play, in the first half, Miami found themselves down a staggering 25 points mid-way through the third quarter. At the time it seemed as if Cal was going to run away with a victory and turn California Memorial Stadium into a frenzy. 

Ward had just thrown an errant pass right into the hands of Cal defender Nohl Williams who ran it 40 yards to the end zone for a pick-six. Williams is the interceptions leader in college football, with five, which is one of the many reasons why Cal has a noteworthy defense.

One word to describe Cam Ward’s game after this play; resilient.

On a 75-yard drive late in the third quarter, Ward connected with 4 different receivers which included a 16-yard pass to Houston transfer wideout Sam Brown Jr to set up the Damien Martinez one-yard touchdown run. 

Another 75-yard touchdown drive came shortly after featuring a 21-yard reception for Xavier Restrepo who just moved up to 4th all-time in Miami Hurricanes receiving yards. Later down the field, Ward hit Horton for an 18-yard touchdown to make it a 38-25 game.

Restrepo, who ended the game with 163 receiving yards, said this in his postgame presser, “We went up to him [Cam Ward] and said we already know you are going to lead us to a come back”

With about four minutes left in the game, Ward rushed for a 24-yard touchdown to make it a one-score game, 38-32.Cam Ward ended the game with a 66 percent completion percentage throwing for 437 yards and two touchdowns.

“Cam is a dog man, ” Cristobal said. “But Credit to (Fernando) Mendoza, just a gutty, talented young man that played his heart out.”

Mendoza, Cal Quarterback and Miami native had quite the showing on national television. Throwing for 285 yards with two touchdown passes. Miami’s defense was horrendous for the majority of the game allowing 38 points in roughly the first 40 minutes of the game.

In the first quarter, Mendoza hit the tight end, Jack Endries, for a 57-yard touchdown. Later in first half, Mendoza flung the pigskin to Jayden Ott for a 66-yard house call that gave Cal a two score lead. It was clear throughout the game that Miami had its struggles on both sides of the ball.

Ward said to the media after the game, “It feels good [to win]. But you know we got a lot to clean up. I did not play my best ball, nobody played their best ball. We just can’t put ourselves in these situations to have to come back.”

Miami’s win vs the Golden Bears marks their first 6-0 start since 2017 and their third time accomplishing this in the past 20 seasons.

The Canes will use the upcoming bye week as an opportunity to not only get the whole squad healthy but also fundamentally improve as they look to make a second-half push to the ACC title game.