Greg Ward’s legacy at Houston with just one week remaining in his career
Greg Ward is heading into his final week as Houston’s quarterback. He’s put together a magnificent career, but where does he rank all time?
Greg Ward Jr. is about to be at the end of his collegiate career at the University of Houston. Ward went from a wide receiver and part-time quarterback to a Heisman Trophy candidate. His 27-5 record as a starter was as good as it gets for a university climbing out of the mid-major muck.
However, the question becomes, where does he rank amongst the Cougars’ greats? Houston’s illustrious history is flooded with ridiculous passing numbers. The Jack Pardee and John Jenkins eras were built upon the run-and-shoot. Andre Ware won the Heisman Trophy in 1989 while throwing for 4,699 yards, 46 touchdowns. A year later, David Klingler shattered those records by passing for 5,140 yards and 54 touchdowns.
Over 15 years after those two obliterated Southwest Conference defenses, Kevin Kolb and Case Keenum arrived. Kolb threw for more than 12,000 career yards. Keenum broke nearly every single NCAA passing record with 19,217 yards, 155 touchdown passes and nearly a 70 completion percentage.
However, these guys never did what Ward did for the program. Ware and Klingler each took their turn at leading the Cougars to impressive seasons. However, due to violations, Ware never led the Cougars to a major bowl win. He went 9-2 in his Heisman season and that was it.
Klingler went 10-1 winning the Coca-Cola Classic against a 4-7 Arizona State squad. Although their records and numbers were brilliant, they never took the program to new heights. Keenum was in a similar mode. I’m not discounting his accomplishments, but his numbers were built against teams in Conference USA. He did have his own 13-1 season in 2012, but it wasn’t the same as Ward’s.
Is he the greatest?
In Ward’s seasons, Tom Herman used his exhilarating spread, power run offense to dominate opponents. Ward fit like a glove. He dazzled fans with his dual threat ability recording a 13-0 record as a starter including the program’s biggest win in its history. Ward led the Cougars to a 38-24 surprising win over No. 9 Florida State.
Fast Forward to 2016, he gave the country a great encore beating two top five squads in Oklahoma and Louisville. In his two and a half years as a starter, he’s 6-0 against teams that are ranked at the time of the meeting.
His numbers aren’t comparable to the other quarterbacks on this list because he ran the ball so much. Ward was a different level of athlete at the quarterback position. Although, he is impressive player in his own right. He’s thrown for 8,475 yards, 52 touchdowns, nearly 8.0 yards per attempt, a 67 completion percentage and just 22 interceptions in his career.
He holds multiple rushing records at the quarterback position with 2,381 yards and 38 touchdowns averaging 4.5 yards per carry (sacks included). The Cougars’ 2016 season didn’t see them play buster to the College Football Playoff, but injuries and inconsistencies cost Ward a golden opportunity. He cost them big against Navy, but for the most part he was the catalyst to another great season.
He won’t leave with the biggest hardware or numbers, but he will be the most influential player in Houston history. The program reached new heights and expectations that no other team achieved. He’s part of the reason they landed five-star Ed Oliver.
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If he can win Saturday against a strong San Diego State squad, he’s easily the best player in the Cougars’ history. Three bowl wins in three years, back-to-back 10-win seasons and national attention that hasn’t been reached are all at stake. He’s been able to make a more lasting and longer impact than anyone else.