Cam Ward and Miami overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to defeat Virginia Tech on Friday night.

The Hurricanes needed to survive a last-second scare, but they ultimately were able to prevail and move to 5-0 on the season.

Ward didn’t have his best game overall, but he came up clutch in the 4th quarter. Trailing 34-31 late in the final quarter, Ward nearly took a sack that would have backed up the Hurricanes into a 2nd-and-long.

Instead, Ward was able to break multiple tackles in the pocket and chest pass the ball to tight end Riley Williams. The sophomore tight end then had plenty of green grass in front of him — and ended up carrying the ball inside the 2-yard-line before being pushed out of bounds.

Here’s a replay:

 

Miami cashed in on that big play with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Horton on the other side of the 2-minute timeout. That TD gave the Canes a 38-34 lead with 1:57 to play — their first lead since it was 14-7 in the second quarter.

Ward finished the game 24-of-38 for 343 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Ward entered the week as the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy at most shops. He was +350 at FanDuel earlier in the week, with the next-closest competitor being Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart at +500. In the immediate aftermath of the game, Ward’s Heisman odds have improved to +275 at FanDuel.

The dramatics of the final play in this game may somewhat overshadow Ward’s performance, but his pitch to get the Canes into scoring range in the game’s final minutes shouldn’t be forgotten to history.

Ward is currently on pace to throw for approximately 4,276 yards during the 12-game regular season. That would smash Miami’s single-season passing yardage record before any potential postseason run. The current record, held by Bernie Kosar at 3,642 yards, has stood since 1986.

Miami will face Cal in Week 6.