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Travis Hunter took rest on Saturday as Cam Ward flamed Duke for 400 yards and five touchdowns. But as the Miami quarterback's Heisman race intensifies, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum believes Hunter stays as the Heisman Trophy front-runner.
Finebaum favors the Colorado Buffaloes two-way star over the star quarterback. The verbose personality even told SportsCenter he felt underwhelmed by Ward's performance in Durham, North Carolina.
“I am very much out, and we all know what he did yesterday, but it was against Duke,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter, via On3.com.
He then shared one more reason he's in on Hunter. Finebaum saw a talent making his aggressive pitch to earn votes.
“And don’t forget, while he was throwing touchdowns, the other guy, Travis Hunter, was on the campaign trail. He was in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania on College GameDay, and I think he may have helped his cause more with that audience than Cam did playing Duke in an early game,” Finebaum said.
Ward held one advantage over the Buffaloes star. He didn't have a bye week on Saturday. Finebaum still believes the race belongs to Hunter.
“But I still think Travis Hunter, when he returns next week, will command the lead,” Finebaum said. “We still have five weeks to go. All it takes is one bad outing, and the Heisman goes away quickly.”
Hunter re-entered the Heisman picture through a dominating Oct. 26 night versus Cincinnati. He reeled in a season-best nine catches for 153 yards and scored twice in Colorado's 34-23 win. Hunter also led the way with four pass breakups.
Miami Heisman winner reacts to Cam Ward's play
Does a past Miami Heisman Trophy winner believe in Cam Ward over Travis Hunter?
Gino Torretta represents the Hurricanes' last winner of the highest collegiate individual award. The 1992 winner told Dan Lyons of Athlon Sports what he loves about Ward.
“I think what [Ward’s] done besides, obviously, great play on the field, is to inspire and lead to make sure everybody is doing whatever they possibly can every single play to win a game,” Torretta said.
Torretta, though, has his concerns about Ward and Miami's national title chances. He's noticed a ‘Canes team that benefited from a crucial officiating call against Virginia Tech. He's concerned about his ‘Canes leaving the game into the hands of the referees.
“I think that could hurt,” Torretta said. “You know, the same way you’re putting a game in an official’s hand on a call, you put it in a committee’s hand and they’re evaluating schedules and strength of schedules and your win-loss. How much did you beat this team by? It’s a factor that you don’t control.”
But through it all, Torretta believes the “sky's the limit” for Ward and the 2024 Hurricanes. Ward now has racked up 3,146 yards, 29 touchdowns, and six interceptions during Miami's 9-0 start.
The Hurricanes have the luxury of facing three unranked teams to close out the regular season. Hunter and the Buffaloes, meanwhile, have four games left. But the first of the final quartet is against 6-3 Texas Tech on Saturday. The dynamic two-way starter can use the final four games to continue his Heisman campaign and distance himself from Ward.
