When Cam Ward and Tyler Shough last shared a field, they lit up the scoreboard like it was a video game. Nearly 1,000 yards of offense, 97 combined points, and a back-and-forth battle that ended with Ward’s Miami Hurricanes outlasting Shough’s Louisville Cardinals, 52-45.
That was October. College football.
Now, less than a year later, the stakes have changed-but the matchup is back, this time with NFL uniforms, bigger spotlights, and two rookie quarterbacks who just might be the future of their franchises.
Inside the Saints’ locker room this week, Quincy Riley and a few teammates huddled around a phone, watching highlights from that college shootout. Riley was on the field that day-Louisville’s starting cornerback-and he remembers it well.
“It was a high scoring game, a real shootout,” Riley said. “Cam Ward made his plays. Tyler made his plays.”
That’s an understatement. Ward threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns.
Shough countered with 342 yards and four scores of his own. It was the kind of game that sticks with you, and now, with both players settling into the NFL, it’s clear that performance wasn’t just a one-off-it was a preview.
On Sunday, they’ll face each other again, this time with Ward under center for the Tennessee Titans and Shough leading the New Orleans Saints. No playoff implications, sure.
But for fans in Nashville and New Orleans, this game represents something else: hope. For the first time in a while, both teams seem to have found their guy at quarterback.
Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, has started every game for the Titans. It took him a while to find his rhythm-he didn’t throw multiple touchdowns in a game until Week 14-but now he’s hit that mark three games in a row. There’s a clear upward trend in his playmaking, and that’s exactly what Tennessee was banking on when they made him the top pick.
Shough, meanwhile, has been one of the league’s most pleasant surprises. After taking over for Spencer Rattler in Week 9, he’s gone 4-3 as the starter and has the Saints riding a three-game win streak. He’s also climbed into the thick of the Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation, currently holding the second-best odds behind Panthers wideout Tetairoa McMillan.
Not bad for a second-round pick who was the third quarterback off the board.
And while there was plenty of pre-draft debate-some arguing Shedeur Sanders should’ve gone ahead of Shough-none of that seems to bother the Saints’ rookie.
“I was thankful for every opportunity I was going to get,” Shough said. “I had full confidence in myself wherever I was going to go. I’m happy to be here with the Saints and I’m happy to be in the NFL.”
That confidence has shown up on the field. Shough’s command of the offense has grown each week, and his ability to extend plays and take care of the football has been a big reason for New Orleans’ late-season surge.
Ward and Shough have taken winding roads to get here-each playing for three different colleges before reaching the league. Shough’s path went through Oregon, Texas Tech, and Louisville.
Ward came up from Incarnate Word, then Washington State, and finally Miami. That shared journey has built a mutual respect between them.
“I love that dude,” Shough said of Ward. “He was just one of my favorites through that whole draft process.
Similar path. He obviously had an incredible career and is doing a great job this year play-making wise.”
Ward echoed the sentiment.
“He’s a real good quarterback,” Ward said. “He’s a fun guy to watch.
He’s somebody I’ve always rooted for. I’m excited that we get to go against each other.”
This weekend’s game won’t have the fireworks of their college clash-don’t expect 97 points-but it will offer a look at two young quarterbacks growing into their roles. For Ward, it’s his 16th start of the season, and he’s trending upward at just the right time. For Shough, it’s start number eight, and he’s already made a strong case that he was the steal of this year’s draft class.
The Saints are favored heading into Sunday, and history is on their side. They’ve faced 12 rookie quarterbacks who were drafted No. 1 overall, and they’ve beaten nine of them. Only Steve Bartkowski (1975), Tim Couch (1999), and Jameis Winston (2015) managed to get the better of New Orleans in their rookie seasons.
Shough and the Saints will be looking to keep that trend alive-and keep their own momentum rolling.
“The cool part is you go through these (draft) processes as quarterbacks and you develop that brotherhood,” Shough said. “And you get to talk to each other after the game. That’s the fun part.”
It’ll be even more fun if he walks off the field with another win in Round 2 of this budding QB rivalry.
**Saints vs. Rookie QBs Drafted No.
1 Overall**
- 1975: Steve Bartkowski, ATL (Saints lost 14-7)
- 1987: Vinny Testaverde, TB (Saints won 44-34)
- 1989: Troy Aikman, DAL (Saints won 28-0)
- 1998: Peyton Manning, IND (Saints won 19-13)
- 1999: Tim Couch, CLE (Saints lost 21-16)
- 2009: Matthew Stafford, DET (Saints won 45-27)
- 2010: Sam Bradford, STL (Saints won 31-13)
- 2011: Cam Newton, CAR (Saints won 30-27)
- 2015: Jameis Winston, TB (Saints lost 26-19)
- 2016: Jared Goff, LAR (Saints won 49-21)
- 2019: Kyler Murray, ARI (Saints won 31-19)
- 2023: Bryce Young, CAR (Saints won 20-17)
Come Sunday, we’ll see if Cam Ward can do what only three other No. 1 picks have done-beat the Saints as a rookie. Or if Tyler Shough adds another win to a rookie campaign that’s gaining serious steam. Either way, it’s clear: this is just the beginning for both.