Five West Virginia players to watch

Sep 12, 2015; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Skyler Howard (3) scrambles with the ball against the Liberty Flames during the third quarter at Milan Puskar Stadium. West Virginia won 41-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2 Skyler Howard

Much like last week against South Florida, Maryland will be facing a very mobile quarterback. Skyler Howard may not be on the same level as Quinton Flowers, but he does have the ability to take off if a play isn’t there. West Virginia does design a running play for Howard once in a while, so this isn’t a guy that just runs any chance he gets. He’s only rushed for 75 yards on 21 carries, but that still ranks second on the team in rushing, just behind Shell.

While he does have the potential to make an impact on the ground, Howard is extremely effective as a passer. In 2015, he has completed 37-of-51 passes for 622 yards and five touchdowns. While the games were against Georgia Southern and Liberty, Howard made an impact when he filled in for Clint Trickett late last season. The Fort Worth native completed 56-of-110 passes for 829 yards to go along with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions in games against Iowa State, Kansas State, and Texas A&M. Simply put, the Terps will have to deal with another signal caller that can flat-out toss the pigskin. Howard is a very accurate quarterback that thrives on throwing the deep ball. In his first two serieses against Georgia Southern, he completed a pair of passes of at least 41 yards or more. Much like Trickett a season ago, Howard has the ability to pick apart the Maryland secondary if they aren’t playing tight coverage.