COMMENTARY
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Even if you remain stubbornly in the camp of thinking Skyler Howard has no business being a Big 12 quarterback (despite stats and wins that indicate otherwise), you must credit him for this:
He made the buildup to a Senior Day ceremony interesting.
Following a 49-19 win at Iowa State, when Howard was asked to set the scene for his upcoming final home game, he answered the softball question with hardball sarcasm.
“Just one more opportunity to get booed, walking out there with my mom,” he said.
So much for rosy farewells.
Video of Howard’s interview, appearing on our website and others, became fodder for fans wondering what sort of reception he’ll receive during senior introductions. An odd debate concerning the quarterback who — in two years and two games as a starter — became West Virginia’s No. 3 all-time passer (behind Geno Smith and Marc Bulger) and its No. 3 all-time yardage producer (trailing Smith and Pat White).
Though he would prefer to jump into his home finale without the pregame panoply, Howard acknowledged the walkout and photo opp would be a warm sendoff for some of his teammates.
“For the guys who really feel welcomed, really feel at home.”
The obvious insinuation: He counts himself among neither.
This sentiment first surfaced during Big 12 media days in July:
“I appreciate the fans, I really do. I appreciate the true ones,” Howard said. “I feel like I have yet to play a true home game, because it’s something when your own fans boo you. So we’ll have to see how it is Sept. 3.”
By October, West Virginia was 5-0 and on the verge of hosting TCU, yet Howard wasn’t sold on the home-field advantage:
“Sometimes I don’t feel like I’m at home. I get booed here more than I do at away games,” he said. “It’s whatever. I’m going to play ball no matter what. For me, to call it a home game, I don’t know if it matters.”
Falling behind Oklahoma 34-0 two weeks ago, he headed to the sideline after a three-and-out and acknowledged hecklers with an arms-up, bring-it-on gesture. Still, if Howard allows the boos to impact his performance, it isn’t revealed in his numbers. This season’s 62.5 completion percentage is a career-best, and his 8.8 yards-per-attempt are up from 7.8 in 2015.
For athletes, tuning out the cacophony is easier said than accomplished. A fan who hasn’t run a single incline sprint or performed even one deadlift has the right to go nuclear after Howard throws an interception, but the quarterback himself shouldn’t react? If ticket prices give fans the license to bark, howl and scream their displeasure, an athlete’s deep investment of time and bruises certainly entitles a counter-reaction like the one Howard gave in Ames.
I keep coming back to the theory that Howard’s out-of-nowhere recruiting story — a feel-good narrative if ever one existed — also feeds the frustration of some fans. To these folks, his bad days aren’t merely bad days, but rather proof he never belonged here in the first place. In their minds, West Virginia should have developed a better, taller, more accurate, more sought-after quarterback. Howard’s 8,000-plus yards and 18-8 record can’t sway them from this premise.
The list of high school quarterbacks who have signed and played under Dana Holgorsen at WVU isn’t sparkling: Paul Millard, Ford Childress, William Crest and Chris Chugunov. Which makes Howard’s achievements all the more notable. Who knew what a value the Mountaineers were getting when they became the first FBS team to offer him out of junior college? Sure, he has missed some throws and contributed seven turnovers in two losses against Oklahoma, but in totality, he has more than paid back West Virginia for the chance it gave him.
These Mountaineers, with a chance to post only the sixth 11-win season in more than a century of football, would not have been bowl-eligible without Howard.
Thus, before Saturday’s game against Baylor, I suspect the noise for Howard will be mostly positive. For the grumpy holdouts, it’s up to them to ponder whether their quarterback has thin skin or just a long memory.