GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Cam Ward wasn’t impressed.

We’re not discussing the Florida Gators here, even though Miami’s quarterback had plenty of reasons to leave The Swamp feeling underwhelmed after the Hurricanes crushed the Gators 41-17. However, Ward was smart enough not to comment too harshly on his opponents.

What puzzled Ward was the hype around the Gators’ fans and how they might fluster him in his first start for Miami. Ward was so unimpressed by the stadium’s atmosphere that he compared it to the noise levels at Pac-12 games and a church service.

“I played at USC, it was much louder than this,” Ward stated, having transferred to Miami from Washington State. He mentioned Washington and Oregon as being similarly raucous before delivering one more playful jab.

“Practice is way louder than this.”

But Ward wasn’t finished with his critiques; he aimed his sights on the SEC as well.

“The Pac-12, that’s where real football is played,” he declared, referring to a conference that now has only two teams, Oregon State and his previous team, Washington State.

Ward also shared a tip for Florida fans, who are likely to take it in stride.

“My advice to the fans: if you’re going to be loud, make sure to be loud while we’re in the huddle,” Ward suggested. “There’s no point in being loud when we break huddle; we’ve already communicated.”

None of the over 90,000 fans decked out in orange and blue at the game (which is about 41,000 more than what the Hurricanes averaged last season) will openly admit it, but they certainly can’t argue with Ward’s assessment of their lackluster support for the home team.

Ward was impressive on the field, tossing for 385 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, completing 25 out of 34 passes. When Miami needed him to be resourceful early in the game, he ran the ball twice for 36 yards.

Though Ward wasn’t flawless, his performance was satisfactory enough for a Miami fanbase that has endured its share of hardship. The fifth-year senior effectively dissected a Gators defense that did little to lighten the scrutiny on their coach, Billy Napier.

“He’s not too bad,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal remarked sarcastically about Ward before getting serious, adding, “He’s a special, special guy. He’s really just beginning to show his potential.”

Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and golf reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be contacted at tdangelo@pbpost.com.