Cactus Bowl Win A Microcosm Of West Virginia's Season

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Football:

Cactus Bowl win a microcosm of WVU season | Beckley Register-Herald
How will the 2015 West Virginia University football season be remembered? There’s really no need for a highlight video. The four-hour-plus Cactus Bowl Saturday night and into Sunday morning was the entire season all wrapped up into one big package.

WVU’s Howard finds stardom during breakout bowl game | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Some 30 minutes after winning the Cactus Bowl with a record-setting performance, he did a postgame press conference while wearing the commemorative T-shirt over his jersey, which was still over his shoulder pads.

Howard's Arm Leads WVU Past Arizona State | WVU Athletics
Skyler Howard’s 15-yard touchdown pass to backup quarterback David Sills with 2:19 left in the fourth quarter gave West Virginia a 43-42, come-from-behind victory over Arizona State in the 2016 Motel 6 Cactus Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

Skyler Howard stars as West Virginia tops Arizona State in Cactus Bowl | ESPN
Behind 532 yards and five touchdowns from their junior quarterback, the Mountaineers rallied late to pull out a victory over the Sun Devils.

Howard's record outing helps sooth disappointing season | The Exponent Telegram
The question rolled off the tongue of the media type slowly, with thought being put into each word, for it was a tricky question to ask of Skyler Howard.

Defense doesn’t rest until it salvages victory over Sun Devils | WV MetroNews
Not once all season had West Virginia’s defense accommodated a 400-yard passer. Mike Bercovici changed that.

WVU wins wild Cactus Bowl, 43-42 | Charleston Gazette-Mail
f the Cactus Bowl were to truly be about Skyler Howard, if all the yards, touchdowns and answers were to be treated as fact instead of fiction, West Virginia’s quarterback was going to get one last chance to prove it, thanks to a mistake by the opposition.

Late score lifts WVU past Arizona State in Cactus Bowl | The Exponent Telegram
You have a quarterback who has broken Drew Bledsoe’s Cactus Bowl passing yardage record at 480 yards on his way to more than a 500-yard passing game. It’s the fourth quarter, 5 minutes to play, you are down six points and it’s third-and-22. What do you do? Throw the ball, right?

West Virginia attacks through air to win Cactus Bowl | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In a game played at a major league baseball park, West Virginia quarterback Skyler Howard spent Saturday night slinging the ball across the diamond and tossing home run passes.

WVU’s Worley to enter NFL draft | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Junior cornerback Daryl Worley announced Sunday he’ll skip his final season and enter the NFL draft. The first-team all-Big 12 player had academic problems late in the fall semester and did not play travel here with the team for the Cactus Bowl.

West Virginia’s Worley says he’s leaving for NFL draft | WV MetroNews
West Virginia cornerback Daryl Worley, whose six interceptions ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 this season, announced Sunday night via Twitter his intentions to enter the NFL draft.

Howard huge, Smallwood timely on WVU’s decisive drive | WV MetroNews
With West Virginia raising its Air Raid flag higher than it has ever flown in a bowl game, a third-and-22 running play proved pivotal.

Selfless and satisfied, Sills in no rush to declare a position for 2016 | WV MetroNews
His season began as West Virginia’s top quarterback recruit and ended with the game-winning touchdown catch in the Cactus Bowl. Given the unforeseen twists of his freshman year, David Sills wouldn’t suppose what position 2016 holds.

Basketball:

WVU completes road trip at TCU tonight | Beckley Register-Herald
Two-thirds of the equation is complete. West Virginia University’s men’s basketball team began its three-game road trip by wrapping up non-conference portion of the schedule by downing Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. It opened up Big 12 play with a double-overtime win at Kansas State on Saturday. Tonight, it will look to complete a perfect road journey with a victory at TCU.

No. 19 WVU wraps up road trip Monday at TCU | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Paige and Phillip lead the Mountaineers into the final game of a three-game road trip Monday at TCU (7 p.m., ESPN2). No. 19 West Virginia — that ranking could change when the Associated Press top 25 poll is released Monday afternoon — has won four consecutive games, including road victories against Virginia Tech and Kansas State.

Arena’s sweet, but Frogs floundering as WVU arrives | WV MetroNews
Previewing Monday night's game in Fort Worth between West Virginia (12-1, 1-0) and TCU (8-5, 0-1).

Morton Leads West Virginia Past Kansas | WVU Athletics
Senior Jessica Morton’s season-high 18 points led the West Virginia University women’s basketball team to a 65-45 victory at Kansas on Sunday afternoon inside Allen Fieldhouse.

WVU women waltz past Kansas in Big 12 road opener | The Exponent Telegram
Senior Jessica Morton’s season-high 18 points led the West Virginia University women’s basketball team to a 65-45 victory at Kansas on Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse.

Around The Big XII:

Big 12 takes step forward in 2015, but bowl season shows it needs work | ESPN
The Big 12 finished the bowl season with a 3-4 record. What's in store for its future?

TCU's head coach changed shirts to help his team stop getting blown out ... and it worked? | SBNation
"Black wasn't workin'," he shrugged and said when asked by ESPN if he changed gear to improve his team's mojo.

Around The NCAA:

Oregon blew a 31-point lead in its bowl game. How'd that happen, and now what? | SBNation
A recap of Saturday's bowls with a focus on how Oregon blew a 31-point Alamo Bowl lead to TCU and what it might mean for the Ducks moving forward.

Michigan State has come so far, but Alabama is still simply on a different level | SBNation
Michigan State has come so far, but Alabama is simply on a different level. The Crimson Tide proved it with a 38-0 destruction of the Spartans in Thursday's Cotton Bowl.

The key to Clemson mauling OU will also give the Tigers a chance against Bama | SBNation
Clemson's line play was key to mauling Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl and will give the Tigers a chance against Alabama in the national title game.

Nick Saban linked to NFL coaching rumors, along with Kevin Sumlin and Jim Mora | SBNation
The offseason is just getting started in the NFL!

Arizona State lost the Cactus Bowl after making about the worst PAT decision possible | SBNation
Even Todd Graham couldn't defend his decision.

(19) West Virginia Mountaineers vs. TCU Horned Frogs
Tonight at 7PM ET on ESPN2 from Ft. Worth. The Mountaineers wrap up their road trip against the Horned Frogs.

Today's Miss Throwdown is Playboy's Miss January. CLICK HERE for Amberleigh West's Instagram.