West Virginia Football's Success Lies Squarely On Shoulders of Skyler Howard

The West Virginia Mountaineers enter the 2015 College football season looking to rebound from a disappointing 2014. The Mountaineers were ranked 12th in the country last season offensively, but the team was only able to post a 7-6 record. With the losses of receivers Kevin White and Mario Alford to the NFL, and the graduation of senior quarterback Clint Trickett, the Mountaineers’ offense will need a big season out of Skyler Howard in his first full year as starting quarterback.

Howard joined the program before the 2014 season as a three-star recruit out of Riverside Community College in Riverside, CA. Because of his one season at the community college, Howard was a sophomore when he enrolled last year. Head coach Dana Holgorsen had plans to redshirt Howard for the entire season, but he was forced to void that redshirt when the Mountaineers’ top two quarterbacks, William Crest and Trickett got injured.

After Trickett was removed from the Mountaineers’ game against Kansas State last season, Howard got his shot. In a crazy second-half performance, he completed 15 of his 23 passing attempts for 198 yards and two touchdowns. While the Mountaineers ended up losing 26-20, Howard was able to give his team a shot after entering the game down 23-3.

The following week, Howard got his first career start against Iowa State in the regular season finale. While he only completed 21 of his 40 passes, Howard threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns, and amassed 69 more yards on the ground in a 37-24 Mountaineers victory.

With their 7-5 regular season record, the Mountaineers were selected to play against the Texas A&M Aggies in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Howard got the start once again, and although he had 346 yards passing and three touchdowns with no interceptions, he only completed 20 of his 45 passes. Howard routinely missed wide open receivers, which ended up making a difference in the outcome of the game, as the Aggies defeated the Mountaineers, 45-37.

Howard is a tremendous leader on the football field, he’s fearless and he will give you everything he has on every single play, but if he can’t improve on his accuracy, the Mountaineers may be in for another disappointing season.

Jason Fletcher is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.