Arizona State Sun Devils

Skyler Howard's arm was the reason why West Virginia won the Cactus Bowl

Published Jan. 4, 2016 10:30 a.m. ET

foxsports

West Virginia lived and died by the pass on Saturday night in the Cactus Bowl, and Skyler Howard's performance was the main reason why the Mountaineers emerged victorious.

“Long game, but good outcome,” said West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen. “I’m proud of these guys; proud of my seniors, and proud of my team. We were the underdog, the visiting team, playing against a team on their turf and we found a way to win.”

Howard easily had his best statistical performance as a Mountaineer, throwing for 532 yards and five touchdowns. It was essentially a home game for the Sun Devils, but Howard clearly embraced the challenge at hand.

“We knew it was going to be high-risk, high-reward, and if we could hold up up front we were going to get some shots downfield and they came down with them,” said Howard, voted offensive MVP for the game.

(h/t WVU Sports)