The college football spectacle of the Pop-Tarts Bowl took place on Saturday night and before the living Pop-Tart was sacrificed, Iowa State came back to beat Miami in a thriller 42-41.

But if Miami quarterback Cam Ward had played the entire game, it probably would have been a different story.

Ward completed 12 of 19 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, giving Miami a 31-28 halftime lead. Ward set the NCAA Division I record for most career passing touchdowns (156).

But after halftime Ward was ghostly.

Sure, he stayed on the Miami sideline the entire time, but didn’t play a snap in the second half.

Miami marched 78 yards for a touchdown on its first possession of the second half, but could not find the end zone again. Emory Williams, who replaced Ward after halftime, completed just five of 12 passes for 26 yards and threw a costly interception.

Miami’s defense kept the Hurricanes in the lead for most of the second half, but couldn’t keep Iowa State out of the end zone late as the Cyclones took a 42-41 lead with a minute to play.

Meanwhile, Ward kept a steady eye on the action from the Hurricanes sideline. He got the record, but Miami suffered the loss. I understand that bowl games aren’t what they used to be, but playing for a record and not winning the actual game bugs me.

Memories of Lou Holtz and Chris Zorich in Notre Dame’s 1988 Cotton Bowl Loss

Before becoming a key part of Notre Dame’s 1988 national championship team, Chris Zorich was a reserve player on the 1987 squad. This team started the year 8-1 before losing to both Penn State and Miami in the final two weeks.

The Irish were then defeated by Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl 35-10 and finished the year 8-4.

Although the loss did not cost Notre Dame the national championship, Zorich was incredibly disappointed in the locker room after the game. Don’t take my word for it, though, let former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz tell the story.

Of course, Zorich developed into an incredibly important part of Notre Dame’s defensive line on the 1988 team and one of the best defensive linemen the Fighting Irish had ever seen.

I know bowl games have changed and the transfer portal certainly had an impact on that, but I can’t for the life of me understand Ward’s decision.

I mean, I get it – he could set the record.

But as a player, how do you watch your teammates that you battled with in spring training and fall camp struggle to win a game and choose to stand on the sidelines and just watch instead of helping them, to grab a few more possessions?

I can understand it, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Ward and Miami’s stunt on Saturday afternoon really makes me miss the days of bowl games, even the ones that don’t decide the championship, and that means something.

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