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The 13th-ranked Miami Hurricanes take on No. 18 Iowa State for the first time ever on the gridiron in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday, December 28, with kickoff set for at 3:30 PM ET on ABC. It will be a fairly local game for Miami at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Let’s recap each team’s regular season while previewing this matchup and giving our Iowa State vs Miami Pop-Tarts Bowl pick.
It was a banner year for Iowa State as the Cyclones won 10 games for the first time in program history. Coach Matt Campbell, now in his ninth season, has led the school to seven bowl games. They are 2-4 in those games, including a previous loss in this same bowl game in 2019, when it was known as the Camping World Bowl.
The Cyclones jumped out to a 7-0 record before splitting its next six games. That included a 45-19 defeat at the hands of Arizona State in the Big 12 Championship game, which kept Iowa State out of the College Football Playoff.
Quarterback Rocco Becht had another steady performance under center in his second season as a starter. He threw for 3,235 yards and 22 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions. His two favorite targets both posted 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Jayden Higgins (87 catches, 1,183 yards, nine touchdowns) and Jaylin Noel (72 catches, 1,077 yards, seven touchdowns) both received All-Big 12 recognition.
Defensively, the Cyclones finished fourth nationally in pass defense, allowing just 161.7 yards per contest. That will be key against an explosive Miami Hurricanes offense. Iowa State knocked off ranked opponents Kansas State and rival Iowa this season.
Third-year coach Mario Cristobal is making major headways at his alma mater. He led the Hurricanes to their first 10-win season since 2017 and, like Iowa State, came oh-so close to reaching the College Football Playoff.
Miami won nine straight to start the season, reaching as high as fourth in the rankings, before two upsets on the road, at Georgia Tech and Syracuse, took the Hurricanes out of the ACC Championship game. Diaz will be hoping his team responds to the disappointment of missing out on the playoff with a bowl win. Miami is 20-25 in bowl games but has lost five straight and 12 of its last 14.
A huge step in that winning direction should come from Heisman finalist Cam Ward, who is expected to play in the game. The quarterback had 4,123 yards and 36 touchdowns in his lone season in Coral Gables. He set school single-season records in completions (293) and yards. In five collegiate seasons, between Incarnate Word, Washington State and Miami, Ward has thrown for nearly 18,000 yards and 155 touchdowns. He is expected to go early in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Like Becht, Ward has two reliable options on the outside. Xavier Restrepo, like Ward an All American, had 69 catches for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns and set the school career yards receiving record. Jacolby George hauled in 51 catches for 728 yards and seven touchdowns. Oregon State transfer Damion Martinez has 823 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground for Miami, while kicker Andres Borregales was nearly automatic, converting all 57 of his extra points and 16 of 17 field-goal attempts.
The Hurricanes led the nation in both scoring (44.2 points per game) and total offense (538.2 yards per game) and will look to pressure Iowa State offensively throughout the contest.
For the second year in a row, a Florida school is dealing with massive disappointment after being left out of the College Football Playoff. However, unlike Florida State last season, the Hurricanes are expecting their big guns to play and end this five-game bowl losing streak.
Iowa State is full of battlers, but with Miami pretty much at home and looking to prove doubters wrong, expect the Hurricanes to knock off the Cyclones behind an inspired performance from Ward as he closes out his standout college career.
Brian has been writing about sports professionally for 25 years, specializing in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, men's college basketball and football, and soccer. He covered high school, collegiate and professional sports in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for two decades. His written work has appeared in several print and online publications since 1999.