The story of the day in college football was the surprising absence of Miami star quarterback Cam Ward in the second half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Iowa State.

Ward played and starred in the first half before moving to the bench in the second half.

Miami squandered the narrow lead that Ward had built with a 42-41 record and finished the season with losses in three of its last four games. The narrative quickly turned to Ward and the decision not to play in the second half – whoever made the decision.

However, at least one NFL Draft analyst doesn’t believe the second-half suspension is likely to impact Cam Ward at the next level.

“I’ve been working all day so I don’t know all the details, but this dialogue with Cam Ward seems silly to me,” the NFL Network wrote Daniel Jeremiah on Twitter. “One piece, one series, one half… it doesn’t matter. I would be shocked if any team moved him up a spot because of that.”

That will certainly be welcome news for Ward, who came under scrutiny after the game.

This coach Mario Cristobal declined to address why Cam Ward missed the second half just added more fuel to the fire. Instead, the ‘Canes coach decided to keep things under control.

“I think all meetings with players and decisions like this, we make them privately and keep them private,” Cristobal said. “Therefore, I will prefer not to answer questions in this regard. I know he did his best there.”

Others questioned why they thought Cam Ward would essentially quit his team.

“I appreciate that Cam Ward played at all in today’s CFB era.” wrote draft analyst Todd McShay on Twitter. “But I just can’t imagine starting a game with teammates, especially as a quarterback, and deciding to retire while my teammates are still trying to get the job done in a back-and-forth battle.

“I am a realist. I know the climate. I’m not even knocking Cam here. It’s just different.”

In any case, it’s sure to put an interesting twist on the pre-draft phase for Cam Ward. He will certainly face questions about the situation and how he handles it could be the deciding factor.