Everyone from Ringer NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay to College Football Hall of Fame head coach Steve Spurrier criticized the move, joining thousands of others on social media as Ward stood on the sidelines during the second half a 42-41 loss to Iowa State. From one perspective, it looked like a snap decision to opt out.

Cam Ward's decision to only play the first half of Miami's 42-41 loss against Iowa State in this year's Pop-Tarts Bowl proved to be extremely

No. 13 UM (10-2) wraps up Year 3 of the Mario Cristobal era on Saturday in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against the No. 18 Iowa State Cyclones. Kickoff from Orlando’s Camping World Stadium is slated for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ABC.

Miami’s quarterback has drawn plenty of heat for sitting out the second half of Saturday’s Pop-Tarts Bowl — a game his Hurricanes lost by just one point — but he’s got at least one defender in former NFL quarterback-turned-analyst Robert Griffin III.

Iowa State beat the Miami Hurricanes in the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl. Cam Ward played the first half of his final college football game, throwing 3 TDs.

Cam Ward watched from the sideline as Miami dropped their bowl game 42-41 to Iowa State. Ward played just a half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl, recording 190 yards and three touchdowns. He broke the Division I career touchdown passes record during the matchup.

In the new age of college football with the 12-team playoff, there were concerns over whether the bowl games would still mean anything.

Miami took a 31-28 halftime lead with a last-minute field goal before the break. It was the highest-scoring first half in a bowl game since LSU defeated Oklahoma in the 2019 Peach Bowl en route to a national title. The Tigers won that game, 63-28, in a first half that featured a combined 63 points.

While Miami football star Cam Ward achieved history in the Pop-Tart Bowl for the most career passing touchdowns in Division I, there was another point in the game that had fans talking. Ward would not

As great as Cam Ward's one and only season was at the University of Miami, it ended on a sour note. After narrowly missing out on the College Football Playoff, the Hurricanes settled for an appearance in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Iowa State.