CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — It is Miami vs. Syracuse this weekend. It is not Cam Ward vs. Kyle McCord.
That said, there’s no quarterback showdown in the country this week better than this one.
McCord — in his first year at Syracuse — leads the nation in passing yards, 300-yard games, attempts and completions. Ward — in his first year at Miami — leads the nation in touchdown passes, is second in passing yards and is third all-time in passing yards at the NCAA level.
They’ll face off on Saturday, the eighth-ranked Hurricanes (10-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) looking for a berth in the ACC title game and the Orange (8-3, 4-3) looking for a signature win in what’ll be their home finale this season.
“I’m excited about it. I think two of the best quarterbacks in the country are about to go out and compete,” Syracuse coach Fran Brown said. “So, us having an opportunity to go against Miami when Syracuse has a really good quarterback, Miami has a really good quarterback, it’s a lot of things that match up the same. It’s pretty cool when you’re watching this game.”
Their numbers this season are eerily similar. McCord has 10 games with 300 yards or more, Ward has nine. Ward has three games with 400 yards or more, McCord has one. Ward has 10 games with two or more touchdown passes, McCord has nine. Ward has thrown for four or more touchdowns in a game four times, McCord three.
Against the three common opponents Miami and Syracuse have — Virginia Tech, Cal and Georgia Tech — McCord is 85 for 127 passing for 984 yards and seven touchdowns, Ward 84 for 130 for 1,128 yards and nine touchdowns.
Add it all up, and McCord has 3,946 yards to Ward’s 3,774. Ward has 34 touchdown passes, McCord 26. Oh, and both are now their school’s single-season leader in passing yards — one of many entries they’ll have in the Syracuse and Miami record books when this season is over.
“I don’t have time to watch other quarterbacks,” Ward, Miami’s Heisman Trophy hopeful, said Tuesday. “I watched a couple of his (games) because we’ve played similar teams, but I’m not taking time out of my day to watch him right now. He’s doing good, though. He’s top five in the country. He’s balling right now, for sure.”
They were both the star gets out of the transfer portal for their schools as well. McCord was at Ohio State last season — “I should send Ryan Day a bottle of champagne for allowing us to get him,” Brown infamously said earlier this season, referring to the Buckeyes coach — and Ward was at Washington State a year ago.
“To play meaningful football this late in the season, it means a lot,” McCord said in an interview posted on Syracuse’s athletic department website. “And so, to have a good opponent coming in, I know there’s going to be a good crowd, the Dome’s going to be rocking. To play on that stage, on national TV, that’s exactly what you work for all season long.”
They are the leaders of some seriously high-powered offenses. Miami leads the country in yards per game (541.5), points per game (44.7) and yards per play (7.61). Syracuse is averaging 31.7 points per game, its second-best rate in the last 26 seasons.
“I think this is a game that everyone wants to see,” Brown said. “Credit to both teams. Both quarterbacks have led their teams and had them just being able to play ball and put ’em in this situation. So, it’s a good deal to be a part of this.”
Miami hasn’t been to Syracuse’s domed stadium since 2002. The Hurricanes first played in what was then-called the Carrier Dome in 1992, when Mario Cristobal — now the coach at his alma mater — was a starting lineman for a Miami team that was ranked No. 1 in the country.
The Hurricanes won that game over then-No. 8 Syracuse to keep title hopes alive. These Hurricanes have to do the same on Saturday to keep their hopes alive, and that’s far bigger than a quarterback matchup.
“This is Miami against Syracuse,” Cristobal said. “The biggest game of the year.”
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