The Miami Hurricanes had tremendous success in Cam Ward's one-season stint. He completed 305 of 454 passes, 67.2 percent, for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns, which led the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished with a 10-3 record, but a late loss to Syracuse eliminated them from contention for the conference title and the College Football Playoffs.
However, the Hurricanes did play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against the Iowa State Cyclones, but lost with a final score of 42-41. Ward only played in the first half of the game and finished with a completion of 12 of 19 passes, 63.2 percent, 190 yards and three touchdowns. There were speculations that the main reason he saw limited time on the field was to avoid any injuries and risk his NFL draft position. However, other reports mentioned that it was pre-planned, especially after Ward broke Case Keenum's record for NCAA Division I career passing touchdowns.
Ward proceeded to take his talents to the big leagues and became the first pick of the draft, selected by the Tennessee Titans. He's the third player in program history to achieve such greatness, alongside quarterback Vinny Testaverde in 1987 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and defensive tackle Russell Maryland in 1991 by the Dallas Cowboys. Both were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Two weeks into the NFL season and Ward has a lot of adjusting to do, which is normal for any rookie. He's thrown for over 100 yards in both games, but the Titans' offensive line has been at protecting him. Ward has been sacked 11 times after two games, which is the most among quarterbacks.
Despite a difficult period in his professional career, Ward made NFL history as the first-ever number one pick to throw no interceptions in their first two games.
Ward is only 23 years old with tons of potential and has displayed great leadership on and off the field. This is only the beginning of a new era in Titans football. The organization will take this season as an evaluation point and find ways to help Ward succeed.
Ward recorded his first career passing touchdown in the NFL last Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams to wide receiver Elic Ayomanor.
Despite being the first pick in the draft, there's no pressure on Ward to uplift the Titans franchise right away. Oftentimes, when rookies make mistakes, teams bench them instead of letting them play through their mistakes, which ruins their development and confidence.
Ward is a great quarterback who can succeed at the highest level, but there will be bumpy roads ahead before the glory days come.