Cam Ward gets even more Heisman hype from CFB fans with Miami's road win over Louisville | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

In perhaps one of the wildest college football games of the 2024 season so far, Ward thrived, often making up for failures from Miami's defense and special teams.

Ward's first touchdown of the game came in the first quarter when he scrambled around and threw a 27-yard dart to Jacolby George in the back of the end zone:

He then scored on a 49-yard score to Sam Brown Jr. in the second quarter that helped give the Canes a 24-17 halftime lead.

In a wild third quarter in which each team scored two touchdowns, Ward threw his third touchdown pass of the game to Xavier Restrepo and his fourth to Isaiah Horton:

Thanks in large part to a fake punt that resulted in a fourth down, Louisville tied the game again at 38-38 early in the fourth quarter, shifting the pressure back onto Ward and the Miami offense:

The dual-threat quarterback was up to the task, orchestrating two touchdown drives that culminated with a two-yard run by Ajay Allen and a 30-yard run by Damien Martinez to give the Hurricanes a 52-38 lead:

There was a somewhat controversial play on the drive that ended in a Martinez touchdown, as Ward was initially ruled to have fumbled and Louisville returned it for a tying touchdown.

However, upon further review, it was determined that Ward's arm moved forward, so the pass was ruled incomplete and Miami scored a touchdown, extending the lead to 14.

Miami's offense once again proved to be championship-caliber on Saturday, as it totaled 541 yards and converted nine of 14 third-down attempts, but head coach Mario Cristobal still has a lot of work to do in the other phases.

Miami's defense allowed 470 total yards and allowed Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough to put up big numbers with 342 passing yards, four touchdowns and no picks.

In addition, the special unit allowed a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown from Caullin Lacy and a successful fake punt in the third quarter.

Still, the Canes are 7-0 overall and 3-0 in ACC play, and they have the edge when it comes to securing the ACC's automatic bid to the College Football Playoff.

Miami's next chance to improve its record and build on its Heisman case comes next Saturday against a struggling Florida team.

Meanwhile, 4-3 Louisville will try to get back on track in a road game against Boston College on Friday.