MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — He’s 161 throws into his West Virginia career, and Skyler Howard has yet to be intercepted.
So much for the self-described gunslinger, right?
Through four starts and six appearances, Howard has kept his risk-taking mentality in check.
“I’m never going to be gun-shy, but taking care of the football always trumps that,” he said Saturday after throwing for 263 yards and three more touchdowns in a 41-17 win over Liberty.
BOXSCORE: West Virginia 41, Liberty 17
That makes 13 passing scores for the junior quarterback versus only one turnover—last year’s fumble at Iowa State—illuminating why he became Dana Holgorsen’s clear-cut starter before a QB battle had time to spark during spring practice.
“It’s why I bought into him in the offseason,” Holgorsen said, noting that Howard’s turnover percentage as a sophomore “was better than anybody I have ever coached.”
MORE: Allan Taylor’s column
While Howard isn’t the first Power 5 quarterback to exploit an FCS defense, he looked exceedingly sharp o 21-of-26 passing. Among those incompletions was a spot-on 11-yard slant dropped by Shelton Gibson in the end zone.
“I told him it was coming again. Just get the next one,” Howard said.
Two possessions later, Gibson scooped up a shin-high comeback route, shook a tackler and went 52 yards for the touchdown.
Gibson’s 81 yards led a spread-out receiving attack. True freshman Jovon Durante caught seven balls for 60 yards (including a 10-yard touchdown) and Daikeil Shorts looked smooth over the middle with four catches for 78 yards. Another rookie, Gary Jennings, made his first four receptions for 28 yards.
These weren’t the chunk plays that knocked out Georgia Southern, but rather, incremental slices that proved plenty effective.
“Walking off the field, I think we did a lot of good things,” Howard said. “But we’ve got a lot to work on.”