TAMPA – Cam Ward’s second interception in a Miami jersey wasn’t his fault, but the Hurricanes quarterback didn’t bat an eyelid.

On Miami’s second possession of Saturday night’s game at USF, Jacolby George caught a pass from Ward while running up the middle, but then lost the ball while trying to tuck it away. It bounced right into the waiting hands of a USF defensive back. Three plays later, the Bulls were in the end zone and Miami trailed for the first time all season.

“(I told him), don’t worry,” Ward said. “I told him he’s got to make it up to me before the end of the season, he’s got to give me one back. JG is one of the best receivers in the country. I’ll get back to him. Next week he’ll probably be in the same position, make the same play and he’ll catch the ball and score. I’m not too worried about that. The only thing that matters at the end of the day is the win. And that’s all we can be thankful for.”

The decision was not costly. Miami’s deficit lasted five minutes and five seconds before Ward made up for it with his 12th touchdown pass of the season. After USF regained the lead with a field goal, Ward got it back 40 seconds later with a 76-yard touchdown pass to Sam Brown.

The Hurricanes never trailed again and totaled 574 yards on offense in a clear 50-15 victory over the Bulls.

You can criticize the quality of Miami’s first three nonconference opponents (struggling Florida, FCS Florida A&M, MAC program Ball State) all you want, but opponent No. 4 was the same USF team that trailed 21-16 to fourth-seeded Alabama with six minutes left in Tuscaloosa two weeks ago.

After amassing 206 rushing yards in Alabama, the Bulls were only able to gain 62 yards on 32 attempts at home.

The Turnover Chain had a brief cameo appearance at the end of the evening… pic.twitter.com/Rkgijb2EyG

— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) 22 September 2024

Mario Cristobal’s team isn’t perfect. The Hurricanes were given far too many penalties in the first half (11 for 113 yards), and USF’s rushing attack gave them problems in the first two quarters. Ward also missed a few open receivers. And without Jordan Lyle’s school-record 91-yard touchdown run late in the game, the Hurricanes’ rushing performance (170 yards on 28 attempts) would have been a blot on the stat sheet.

But after four games, one thing is certain: With Ward as quarterback, Miami is explosive enough to beat anyone.

“If you want to make it a boat race, we’re fine with that,” Cristobal said.

Miami’s offense started Week 4 with 32 plays of 20 yards or more, the best of any FBS school. Against the Bulls, it managed five more and reached the 50-point mark for the third straight game. Its worst offensive performance to date? 41 points in a season-opening win over rival Florida in Gainesville.

And it could prove very helpful that the Hurricanes can provide glowing results on the scoreboard, as evidenced by the other ACC results this weekend:

Miami doesn’t have any of those five ACC teams on its schedule, but it does have two of the league’s four remaining undefeated teams – Louisville and Duke. To make the 12-team College Football Playoff, it will likely need to finish the regular season 12-0 or 11-1 and win the ACC title game.

Right now, the only game on the schedule where Miami probably isn’t a favorite is the Oct. 19 game at Louisville. But the Cardinals have to survive a series of games against Notre Dame, SMU and Virginia over the next few weeks without taking too much damage first.

By then, Ward and Miami might have convinced a lot more people that The U is back. That’s how it felt Saturday for the large chorus of Canes fans who made the trip to Tampa, singing a familiar song as Bulls fans left Raymond James Stadium.

Miami Hurricanes fans are singing again… pic.twitter.com/OUEonwJurV

— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) 22 September 2024

The Hurricanes open ACC play next Friday at home against Virginia Tech, and as the quality of the competition increases, they fancy their chances.

“I would say the best part of all is that our guys are excited to work,” Cristobal said. “It’s about getting back up, waking up and getting ready for conference games. Nobody is satisfied. We’re happy with the progress. We’re excited and motivated, but we just want to get back to work.”

(Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images)