One of the biggest developments from Saturday's slate of college football games was the unusual mid-game opt-out by Miami senior quarterback Cam Ward. His choice to sit out the second half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl has had people across the nation talking, including a former Texas Tech QB who has some unique insight into the situation.
Entering the game, Ward, a senior who transferred to Miami from Washington State prior to this season, needed only one TD pass against Iowa State to break the NCAA career record which was 155 held by former Houston QB Case Keenum who played from 2007-11.
Late in the first quarter, Ward completed a short TD pass to give him 156 career touchdown passes. He would then go on to throw two more TD passes to set his career mark at 158.
Then, Ward decided to sit out the second half of the game. At halftime, Miami led 31-28 however the Hurricanes would eventually fall 42-41.
Much of the reason for the loss was due to the struggles of the Miami passing game after Ward's departure. Backup QB Emory Williams was able to complete only 5 of 14 passes for 26 yards and he had no touchdowns but one interception in the second half.
Though neither Ward nor his head coach Mario Cristobal gave a definitive reason for Ward sitting out the second half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl, it was fairly easy to connect the dots. Most observers believe that Ward played only to set the passing touchdown record and once that goal was accomplished, he decided to take himself out of the game.
That decision drew plenty of criticism from people around the country. One such person who weighed in was legendary Texas Tech quarterback BJ Symons who called Ward's actions "pretty lame".
Playing in a bowl game purely for a personal record then sitting out once you get it is pretty lame
— BJ Symons (@BJSymons) December 29, 2024
Symons would have greater insight into this situation than most people. After all, he set a national passing record in 2003, his lone season as the starter for Texas Tech.
That year, Symons threw for 5,833 yards to break the single-season passing mark in the NCAA. That record stood until 2021 when Bailey Zappe threw for 5,967 yards for Western Kentucky and offensive coordinator Zach Kittley who would then leave WKU for Texas Tech where he would serve as OC from 2022-24.
But though Symons had the NCAA record in his pocket, he still played in Texas Tech's bowl game in 2003. What's more, that bowl game, the Houston Bowl, was not a prominent postseason contest nor was it against a marquee opponent (Navy).
Still, Symons played the entire game and threw for 497 yards and four touchdowns. The Red Raiders prevailed 38-14 to finish 8-5.
Now, in fairness, Ward is considered a sure-fire first-round NFL Draft pick while Symons was considered a fringe NFL prospect in 2003. Thus, if Ward would have been injured, he would have stod to lose quie a bit more.
Additionally, the mindset surrounding bowl games is different in 2024 than it was in 2003 when it was unheard of for star players to opt out of postseason contests. Ward and Symons played in different eras of the sport and times have changed making it trendy for star players with NFL futures to put themselves and their futures before the good of their university and its football program.
However, it is hard to imagine that Symons would sit out a bowl game if he was playing in 2024 because he was known for being a ferocious competitor. In fact, he played half of his senior year with a torn ligament in his knee. So if Symons says that Ward's decision was "lame" then Red Raider fans are probably going to agree. After all, few people have the type of perspective on this controversy that Symons does.