Miami's series of surviving thrillers and late game reviews by officials spanned three games.

After escaping with wins over Virginia Tech and Cal, sixth-seeded Miami did it again on Saturday with a wild 52-45 win over Louisville.

Heisman candidate Cam Ward threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns and got a break when officials reviewed a 68-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Antonio Watts and reversed it with 4:50 left. The referees determined that Ward's arm moved forward when he lost the football.

Two weeks ago, officials reviewed a late-game tackle by linebacker Wesley Bissianthe on quarterback Fernando Mendoza for targeting but ruled in Miami's favor before the Hurricanes recovered to beat Cal 39-38. This came a week after Virginia Tech's last-second touchdown catch was reversed and ruled incomplete, allowing the Hurricanes to escape with a 38-34 home victory over the Hokies.

Instead of being tied at 45 after Louisville's fumble return, Miami's drive continued, and two plays later Damien Martinez sealed the victory with a 30-yard touchdown run. The Hurricanes, who led all FBS schools in scoring and yards per game entering the week, totaled 541 yards of offense, including 219 rushing yards.

They also had difficulty stopping Louisville's offense. The Cardinals (4-3 overall, 2-2 in the ACC) had 11 pass plays of 15 yards or more and never lost their composure, even when the Hurricanes (7-0 overall, 3-0 in the ACC) started to assert themselves a bit Distance on the scoreboard.

Miami took a 31-17 lead when Ward led Miami right down the field on a 14-play, 75-yard drive to start the second half. But Caullin Lacy returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, and Miami's Mark Fletcher gave the ball right back to Louisville moments later when he lost a fumble at the Hurricanes' 26-yard line. Tyler Shough then connected with Ja'Corey Brooks on a 21-yard touchdown strike to tie the game.

The teams then traded touchdowns again before Miami took the lead for good with a 2-yard touchdown run by Ajay Allen 11:17 into the fourth quarter.

With the win, the Hurricanes secured the Schnellenberger Trophy, named after Howard Schnellenberger, who led both programs to national prominence. He coached the Hurricanes from 1979 to 1983 and became Louisville's coach in 1985.

Get out your boots‼️#GoCanes pic.twitter.com/j8pslBz4c4

— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) October 19, 2024

Miami returns home next Saturday to host rival Florida State (1-6, 1-5 ACC).

Ward's Heisman candidacy is starting to look familiar

Ward is great and the way Miami plays around him creates a new opportunity for a Heisman moment every week. After another excellent performance and a narrow win, he will likely be the favorite to win the trophy again.

The Washington State transfer is putting up big numbers and making one clutch play after another. In this case, he converted a third-and-17 in the fourth quarter with a 22-yard run that turned out to be a touchdown drive that made it 52-38 with 4:05 left.

Ward's Heisman candidacy is starting to feel like Kyler Murray's in 2018 with Oklahoma. These Sooners could score against anyone, had the No. 1 offense in the country, and often needed all they could get from Murray because the rest of the team wasn't very good. Oklahoma ranked 102nd in the country in defense and was one of the most penalized teams in the country that season, but still made the playoffs, winning seven games by 12 points or fewer.

Miami's defense was ranked in the top 20 in the country entering the game, but was leaking for the third straight week. Louisville averaged 6.2 yards per play. Outside of a disruptive defensive line, the Hurricanes are very shaky throughout the rest of the defense.

Miami has allowed 117 points in the last three games.

Special teams was a major contributor to the problem against Louisville.

The Canes gave up a 100-yard kickoff return TD and allowed Louisville to convert a fourth down with a fake punt that coach Mario Cristobal said in an in-game interview he told his team to play on defense be prepared.

But Ward remains Miami's trump card. — Ralph Russo, college football writer

Coverage issues continue for Miami

We knew the Hurricanes would have a hard time replacing Kam Kinchens and James Williams, two NFL-drafted safeties, early in the season. But in recent weeks, the Hurricanes have been a mess in pass defense.

Shough threw for 342 yards and four touchdowns, and when he wasn't under pressure, there were several breakdowns in coverage. Most notable was Shough's 21-yard touchdown pass to Brooks, when safety Jaden Harris left a gaping hole on the backside for Brooks to open. Against Cal, the Hurricanes allowed four passes over 50 yards. Some of that came when the linebackers gave up their coverage responsibilities.

Either way, defensive coordinator Lance Guidry has a lot of cleaning up to do. — Manny Navarro, Miami football beat writer

Hectic second half

Miami scored on four of its five regulation possessions in the second half, not counting the final one after the Hurricanes recovered an onside kick in the final minute. The other Hurricanes' possession ended after a play and a fumble and led directly to a quick Louisville score that made it 31-1 midway through the third quarter.

Louisville scored four of five possessions in the second half, including the kickoff return touchdown.

The combination of Canes and Cards made the score 5-5 on fourth down of the game, and there was only one punt in the second half. Miami's only forced punt made the difference in the end. — Russo

Required reading

(Photo: Joe Robbins / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)