The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: 2024 Pop Tarts Bowl vs Iowa State edition

not the season finale Miami wanted, but hey, it be like that.

The Miami Hurricanes ended the 2024 season with yet-another terrible loss, losing 42-41 to Iowa State in the Pop Tarts Bowl.

Mike Schiffman selected the final 3 stars of the season:

With that said, let’s get into the final installment of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly for the 2024 season.

The Good

• QB Cam Ward set the NCAA’s all-time touchdown pass record with his 156th scoring pass to Jacolby George with 4:12 left in the 1st quarter. What an incredible season, and career for Ward!

• Ward decided to hang it up at halftime, ending his illustrious collegiate career. Thank you for everything, Cam!
• QB Cam Ward. Another strong performance for the standout signal caller: 12-19 passing (63% completions) for 190 yards with 3 TDs, along with 2 carries for 8 yards.
• Updating the Cam Ward season stats for the final time. And what a season it was: 305 for 454 passing (67.0% completions) for 4,313 yards with 39 TDs and 7 interceptions. He’s also added 204 yards and 4 TDs rushing, and 1 catch for 7 yards and 1 touchdown.
• RB Damien Martinez. 14 carries for 179 yards and a TD. A career high for him, and the total put him up over 1,000 yards on the year.
• RB Mark Fletcher Jr. 12 carries for 61 yards and a TD, and 1 catch for 7 yards and a fumble (on the reception play).
• TE Elijah Arroyo. 4 catches for 61 yards and a TD.
• WR Joshisa “JoJo” Trader. 3 catches for 61 yards and the first TD of his Miami career.
• LB Kiko Mauigoa. 8 tackles and 2.5 TFLs.
• LB Wesley Bissainthe. 5 tackles, 2 TFLs, and a sack.
• DB Meesh Powell. Playing both Corner and Safety, Powell had 7 tackles and a PBU.
• K Andres Borregales. 2/2 on FGs, 5/5 on PATs, and good kickoffs for the most part. And, a record. Thanks for everything, Andy.
• P Dylan Joyce. 1 punt for 44 yards and perfect holding. Good game, kid!
• 6 TFLs
• RB Damien Martinez took the first play of Miami’s 2nd offensive drive 75 yards to the house for a touchdown. That’ll do!

• True Freshman WR JoJo Trader, making his first start with all the defections from the receiver room, with his first career touchdown to tie the game at 21!

• Another TD for Ward, this time finding Arroyo wide open over the middle in the space that ISU’s starting Safety left due to injury on the previous play.

• MIAMI FORCED A PUNT WITH 8:11 TO GO IN THE HALF!! And followed that up with 2 more stops. Consecutively!!!
• True Freshman TE Elija Lofton with a 28 yard run on a fake punt to extend a drive late in the 3rd quarter.

• With his 21yd FG midway through the 4th quarter, K Andres Borregales passed Michael Badgley to become the Miami Hurricanes’ all-time leading scorer! Congrats, Andy!!

• 524 yards of offense
• 216 yards passing
• 308 yards rushing
• 72 plays
• 7.3 yards per play
• 7/14 on 3rd down
• 12.7 yards per completion
• 7.9 yards per carry
• 4-4 redzone scoring…..but only 2 TDs.
• 0 sacks allowed
• only 2 TFL allowed
• The advanced stats show a Miami win. Didn’t win, though.

The Bad

• Losing. I hate it and it fucking sucks.
• Losing the chance for our first 11 win season in 21 years.
• Only 1 sack (whiffed on at least 4 other sacks).
• Fighting teammates on the sideline. SMH. (This happens all the time which is why I’m putting it in Bad not Ugly)

The Ugly

• Losing to Iowa State. We should never. IDC IDC IDC. (and I mean, we hadn’t, because we had never played them before).
• Losing the chance to have our first 11 win season since 2003.
• Ending the year with consecutive losses, and 3 of the final 4.
• QB Emory Williams. 5/14 passing (35.7% completions) for 26 yards and an interception.
• I’m sorry, but if this is the player we’re supposed to be putting our full faith in to lead this team at QB next year, then we’re in for a rough season.
• A bad snap from Zach Carpenter led to a fumble recovered by Iowa State. On the first snap of the game. YIKES.

• I’ll let the video speak for itself

• Yeah. It’s ugly.

• ANOTHER fumble, this one by Fletcher Jr. deep in Iowa State territory.

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Team Grades

Offense: 1st half: A+ // 2nd half: D

Record setting offense did record setting things.

And then Cam Ward went to the bench for the second half and nothing was the same.

Defense: F

I mean, do I even need to put a narrative here anymore?

Special Teams: A

Perfect on FGs. Good punt. Great fake punt. Solid coverage. That’ll work.

Coaching: Fireable

Another horrible loss. Somebody has to go because the performance, particularly on defense, cannot continue like this.

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That’s it for this installment of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Hop in the comments and keep the conversation going.

Go Canes