SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 29, 2014
West Virginia 37, Iowa State 24: Skyler Howard passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns as the visiting Mountaineers overcame a 14-point deficit to snap a three-game losing streak.
Howard, starting in place of an injured Clint Trickett (concussion), finished 21-of-40 with no interceptions and tossed a pair of second-quarter scoring passes to Mario Alford as West Virginia (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) kept the Cyclones (2-9, 0-8) winless in conference play. Rushel Shell rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown in the regular-season finale for the Mountaineers.
Sam B. Richardson threw for 275 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions on 26-of-50 for Iowa State, which managed only three points after taking a 21-7 lead with 11:57 left to play in the first half. Aaron Wimberly had a rushing and receiving TD for the Cyclones, who wind up the season next week at TCU.
After Shell broke off a 54-yard run to open the scoring, Wimberly ran for a 3-yard TD and caught a 5-yard touchdown before Richardson connected with Tad Ecby on a 29-yard scoring strike for a 21-7 lead three minutes into the second quarter. West Virginia stormed back as Howard hooked up with Alford on a pair of scoring passes and Josh Lambert booted field goals of 46 and 32 yards to seize a 27-21 lead at the break.
Cody Netten's 34-yard field goal cut the deficit to three points with nine minutes left in the third quarter, but Richardson was picked off by Terrell Chestnut at the goal line on the first play of the fourth quarter. Howard then capped a 75-yard drive with a 15-yard scoring pass to Daikiel Shorts for a 10-point edge with 9:10 remaining.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Richardson's two scoring passes moved him within the school's single-season mark of 20 set in 1997. ... Mountaineers WR Kevin White became the third player in school history with 100 receptions in a season, joining Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin. ... West Virginia LB Shaq Petteway was ejected for targeting following a helmet-to-helmet hit on Jarvis West in the third quarter.