The calm after the storm, the shine after the war. The Cougs enter a week five bye week having reeled in their second ranked win of the season, in large part due to the effort of QB Cam Ward.
Since Fall camp, Ward’s development has been monitored by those close to the team, four weeks into the season it is showing up on the field.
Ward threw for 451 yards and three touchdowns in week one, 212 yards and two TDs in week two, 327 yards and four touchdowns in week three in just one half. His two most dominant performances came in weeks one and three, although against lower-level opponents.
The one thing left to be seen was if Ward could continue his torrid pace and hyper-efficient success against a solidified defense. It was put to the test Saturday against the Oregon State Beavers, who came in ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll, also ranked 14th in the country in points allowed per game.
The Beavs also came in allowing just 260 total yards per game which was best in the Pac-12, and were allowing just 202.3 pass yards per game, good for third in the Pac-12. Ward on the other hand was the only QB in the country with 100 pass attempts and no interceptions and was third in the Pac-12 in pass yards per game and touchdown passes.
In a matchup of an unstoppable force and an immovable object, it was Ward who prevailed. He threw for 404 yards on just 34 pass attempts, completing 82.4% of his throws and hitting on four TD passes and another TD on the ground. Averaging 11.9 yards per attempt, Ward also had a 221.0 QB rating.
Outside of a fumble that ended up not costing the team, Ward had a near-perfect day at the office. The stellar performance earned him not only Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week but the Reese’s Senior Bowl Offensive Player of the Week, awarded to the nation’s top offensive senior.
On top of those, Ward also earned the Maxwell Award Player of the Week, given to the nation’s top player of the week, and the Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week.
Ward now ranks third in the country with 1,389 pass yards, only behind Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Washington’s Micheal Penix Jr., who are both recognized Heisman contenders. Ward is also third in the country with 13 passing touchdowns and has led a WSU team that ranks fifth in the scoring averaging 45.8 points a week, despite two ranked matchups
Ward, who was named to the preseason Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list, continues to prove his dominance over college defenses, and his worth to a future professional franchise. His talents are on full display, and his stock is only growing.
The way that things are going, every week is a new episode of the Cam Ward show.
