Miami's Mario Cristobal: 'Bulls--t' to Say Cam Ward Quit During 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal is not happy that some believed quarterback Cam Ward quit during the team's 42-41 loss to Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

In fact, he called such a notion "bulls--t" on Monday, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.

Cristobal also explained the team went into the contest with a predetermined plan to play Ward at the start but not have him finish, adding it is "a false narrative" to believe he quit on his teammates.

The Hurricanes jumped out to a 31-28 halftime lead in a back-and-forth game with Ward under center as he went 12-of-19 for 190 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. However, the offense managed just one touchdown in the second half with Emory Williams going 5-of-14 for 26 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception.

Iowa State scored the go-ahead touchdown in the final minute, and Miami's final drive ended with Williams' interception.

The Hurricanes surely would have put themselves in better position to win if Ward played the entire game, but they also had to think about his future. The risk-reward analysis for the Pop-Tarts Bowl likely wasn't worth risking an injury, but he still played for some of the game in a time when many top draft prospects opt out of non-playoff bowl games entirely.

That future will include him being selected early in the 2025 NFL draft, as B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranked him as the sixth-best overall player and best quarterback in its latest big board of prospects.

It also projected him as the No. 2 overall pick in its latest mock draft, underscoring that his talent and potential will surely override any concerns NFL teams may have with him not playing down the stretch of the Pop-Tarts Bowl.