LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ajay Allen followed Cam Ward's fourth touchdown pass with a 2-yard go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter, Damien Martinez added a 30-yard TD run with 4:05 left and No. 6 Miami held off Louisville with a Wild starting a 52-45 win on Saturday.

Thanks to Ward's seventh straight 300-yard passing performance en route to a school record, his most exciting chapter was added to a series recently highlighted by high scores. More importantly, the Hurricanes (7-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) are off to their best start since starting 10-0 in 2017.

The Hurricanes survived multiple Louisville turnovers with double-digit deficits, the last of which was Tyler Shough's 4-yard TD pass to Duke Watson that tied the game at 38-3 early in the fourth quarter. Ward then hit Samuel Brown for 59 yards, setting up Allen's go-ahead score with 11:17 left.

“We knew it was going to be back and forth,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “This is a win against a really good team.”

Martinez's bullish TD run provided a cushion, but Shough's 4-yard scoring pass to Ja'Corey Brooks with 54 seconds left brought them within a touchdown. Ward took a knee three times to complete the thrilling road win and recapture the Schnellenberger Trophy, awarded to the winner between the programs led by the legendary Howard Schnellenberger.

Ward completed 21 of 32 passes for 319 yards, breaking the Miami record for consecutive 300-yard games last held by Tyler Van Dyke in 2021, 11 shared by Van Dyke and Brad Kaaya.

Xavier Restropo had nine catches for 101 yards and a TD, and Jacolby George and Brown each caught scoring passes as the Canes beat Louisville 538-448.

Shough completed 31 of 51 for 342 yards and four scores for the Cardinals (4-3, 2-2).

“We had some chances,” Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said. “I think our guys played hard, but it wasn't good enough. “We definitely didn't get off to a good start. I applaud our team for hanging in there and playing until the end, but we have to play better football.”

Despite the running effort put together by both teams, their defenses contributed key insights that influenced the outcome. Miami linebacker Raul Aguirre Jr. might have had the most success, recovering Isaac Brown's fumble caused by Simeon Barrow's perfectly placed helmet hit on the ball in the end zone and making it 24-14 in the second quarter -leadership provided.

Louisville's Thor Griffith ripped the ball off Mark Fletcher Jr., which Jordan Guerad caught back at the Miami 26, leading to Brooks' 21-yard TD pass from Shough.

Miami: After comeback wins over Virginia Tech and Cal, the Hurricanes had to fight back hard against Louisville. Ward bought time and found receivers, and the best offense in the country continued to do what it does with a balanced attack that also rushed for 219 yards. This keeps them in the ACC mix.

Louisville: Every time the Cardinals seemed beaten down against Ward and the Canes, they responded with gutsy scoring. The defense certainly helped with a takeaway and key defensive stands, but wasn't enough to stop Miami's ground game from taking over in the fourth quarter. They have now lost three of four games and the challenge now is salvaging the remainder of a formidable schedule.

Miami: hosts in-state rival Florida State in ACC play.

Louisville: Visits Boston College on Friday evening with a quick turnaround time.

___

Get AP Top 25 poll alerts and updates throughout the season. Sign up here. AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football