Houston quarterback Greg Ward earns respect with big heart

Every positive adjective has been thrown out by Houston players to describe Greg Ward Jr. during Las Vegas Bowl week.

The Cougars are enamored with their starting senior quarterback, who has guided them to 22 wins in the past two years. They also will have back-to-back 10-win seasons if they defeat San Diego State on Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium. Kickoff is at 12:30 p.m.

Houston coach Major Applewhite called Ward a competitor with the biggest heart. Cornerback Brandon Wilson referred to him as the ultimate warrior and leader. Wide receiver Chance Allen compared Ward to Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Odds are no one on the Houston roster, with more than 100 players, could find a flaw with the team captain. Ward is loved by fans, the public relations team, prominent booster Tilman Fertitta and even the guy who tapes his ankles.

“Great team leader and great person off the field,” Allen said. “He’s always laughing and making sure everybody is happy. He does a great job in the huddle and keeps everyone calm.”

Maybe the only people who would dare to criticize Ward are NFL Draft experts. Every quarterback prospect dreads hearing the word “undersized,” and Ward, 5 feet 11 inches tall and 190 pounds, will hear the negative connotation often come draft season.

“I see a lot of workouts,” Ward said. “We’ll see how that goes, but we got a bowl game first.”

Ward has a one-day-at-a-time approach, but it’s easy to sense he’s itching to prove the NFL scouts wrong at those crucial workouts in February and March.

Ward, a native of Tyler, Texas, has gotten this far by playing with a chip on his shoulder. He posted monster numbers at John Tyler High and was overlooked by the Power Five schools because of his size.

The dynamic dual-threat quarterback broke out his junior year with 2,828 passing yards, 1,114 rushing yards and a combined 38 touchdowns (17 passing, 21 rushing) en route to a Peach Bowl victory against Florida State.

Ward was a dark-horse Heisman Trophy candidate this year after Houston opened the season with an upset of Oklahoma. Numerous injuries slowed Ward, but he posted stellar numbers with 3,328 passing yards, 518 rushing yards and a combined 31 touchdowns (22 passing, nine rushing).

“That’s the last thing a player wants to play with is injuries,” Ward said. “Players want to hit the field 100 percent and come out fresh, but that’s part of the game. My team needed me, and I kept playing through it.”

Ward’s place is cemented in Houston history with the program’s best quarterbacks, such as David Klingler, Kevin Kolb, Case Keenum and Andre Ware, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1989.

“It’s special to hear my name next to those guys,” Ward said. “Those are some great quarterbacks. It’s a blessing.”

There’s no doubt Ward is an explosive playmaker, but being labeled as an undersized quarterback who plays mainly under the shotgun formation will draw red flags at the next level. Applewhite hopes scouts look past that and focus on the drive that fuels Ward.

“We have these certain measurements and cardboard cutouts you have to fit into, and there’s really no way to measure a heart,” Applewhite said. “There’s not a stopwatch, there’s not a scale, there’s not a measurement tape for heart. Greg has heart and would do anything to win.”

History has shown that a high draft stock doesn’t mean anything, with late-round picks Tom Brady, Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott flourishing in the NFL.

Allen, Ward’s go-to receiver, played with Mariota for two seasons at Oregon before transferring to Houston.

“They have similar styles, and they’re both leaders,” Allen said. “He’s tremendous, shows heart playing through injuries.”

Whether Ward tries out for quarterback or wide receiver during the NFL combine, he’ll pass the character test with flying colors.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.