Nov 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Xavier Restrepo (7) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Duke Blue Devils during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
AMES — Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said his No. 13 team “has unfinished business.” Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said his 18th-ranked team shares a level of “trust” that’s “really hard to find.”
So while both programs fell one win short of inclusion in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando (ABC) is anything but an afterthought — and neither ISU or Miami will be going through the motions.
The Hurricanes (10-2) boast a Heisman Trophy finalist at quarterback in Cam Ward, and have (amazingly) lost 11 of their past 12 bowl games. That’s a staggering number for such a storied program, which probably ties into the “unfinished business” theme.
The Cyclones (10-3) have produced two of the best seasons in program history since Campbell took over in 2016, but have only won two bowl games during his tenure.
So maybe that “unfinished business” talk applies to both teams — and with that in mind, here’s a look at five Miami players to know before the human-sized Pop-Tart is ritually sacrificed after the game:
QB Cam Ward
The Davey O’Brien Award winner started his college career at Incarnate Word, then wound through Washington State before emerging as a top-end NFL Draft prospect as a Hurricane. Ward, a 6-2, 223-pound fifth-year senior’s racked up staggering numbers at each of his stops. He’s thrown 155 career touchdown passes and just 37 interceptions during his long college journey, and also boasts 20 career rushing touchdowns. ISU’s veteran defensive coordinator Jon Heacock said he’s the most complete quarterback his unit will face this season — and that’s almost an understatement. Ward’s been sacked just 22 times while attempting 435 passes this season, a low number that speaks to his mobility and his offensive line’s talent and execution. Ward’s thrown multiple touchdown passes in all but one game this season, and he’s tossed three or more TD passes in eight games.
WR Xavier Restrepo
What the 5-10, 198-pound fifth-year senior lacks in size, he makes up for with speed and sure hands. Restrepo — a first-team All-American, like his quarterback — recorded his second consecutive 1,000-yard season and nearly doubled last season’s touchdown catch total with 11. There have been rumblings that he may choose to sit out to protect his health in advance of the 2025 NFL Draft, but no official reports indicate he won’t play. Restrepo’s only “quiet’ games in 2024 came in blowout wins over Wake Forest, Florida State and Ball State. He totaled 100-plus receiving yards in six games — and his third touchdown catch in the Duke win broke open a one-possession game in the fourth quarter.
LB Francisco Mauigoa
The 6-3, 230-pound former Washington State transfer from American Samoa has just two sacks this season after compiling 11 in 2022 and 223, but he’s still Miami’s leading tackler with 88 stops. He’s intercepted a pass in each of the past three seasons and has also forced a fumble this season. Mauigoa — a second-team All-ACC selection —has tallied double-digit tackles in three straight games after doing so just once in the previous nine. He’s projected as a middle-round NFL Draft pick and blends smarts with athleticism to shine on the field.
S Mishael Powell
Powell’s yet another transfer player (he came in from Washington) to make a huge impact for Miami. The 6-1, 210-pound senior nearly doubled his career interception total with six this season — and he boasts one pick-six in each of the past two seasons. Powell earned second-team all-ACC honors and also owns a sack this season. He helps anchor a secondary that tied for 22nd nationally in interceptions with 14 — a number matched by the Cyclones’ secondary, among a handful of other teams.
PK Andres Borregales
The two-time Lou Gross Award semifinalist is one of five players nationally to attempt 16 or more field goals this season and miss only once. The 5-11, 170-pound senior from Miami has made 15 consecutive field goal tries — including six in a row from 40 or more yards out. Borregales also booted a career-long 56-yarder through the uprights this season and has missed just one of his 179 career extra-point attempts. So he’s a potent weapon in the closing seconds for a Hurricanes team that went 3-2 in one-score games this season.
