MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University football coach Dana Holgorsen has announced the Mountaineers’ Player of the Year Awards for outstanding performance on the field during the 2016 season.

 

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Skyler Howard; DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Rasul Douglas; SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Marvin Gross Jr.; OFFENSIVE SCOUT TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Will Grier; DEFENSIVE SCOUT TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Logan Thimons.

 

Howard completed 247-of-404 passes for 3,328 yards and 26 touchdowns and ran for 463 yards and 10 touchdowns. He threw for 300 or more yards in four games, including a season-high 389 yards against Youngstown State. He ran for a season-high 89 yards at Texas Tech and was the first quarterback since 2007 and only fourth in school history to finish with double-figure rushing touchdowns.

 

In national statistics, Howard ranked No. 19 in points responsible for (216), No. 23 in total offense (291.6 avg.), No. 25 in passing touchdowns (26), No. 26 in passing yards per completion (13.5 avg.), No. 27 in passing yards (3,328), No. 28 in yards per pass attempt (8.2), No. 28 in passing efficiency (146.6), No. 32 in passing yards per game (256.0 avg.), No. 42 in completions per game (19.0 avg.) and No. 45 in completion percentage (.611).

 

He finished No. 2 in WVU single-season history in touchdowns responsible for (36), No. 3 in passing yards, No. 4 in total offense and tied for No. 4 in touchdown passes. He posted a 19-9 all-time record as the WVU starting quarterback and finished No. 2 in WVU career touchdown passes (60), tied for No. 2 in interception avoidance (.0261), No. 3 in completions (524), passing yards (7,302) and touchdown responsible for (76).

 

Douglas tied for the national lead in interceptions with eight and was No. 19 in passes defended (16). He was the Mountaineers’ fourth-leading tackler (70) and had a sack, 3.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

 

He registered five or more tackles in seven games and had at least one interception in seven games, including four straight games.

 

He was a unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection and was named to eight different All-American teams, including Associated Press, Football Writers’ Association of America, Walter Camp Football Foundation, Pro Football Focus, USA Today and CBSSports.com as a second-team selection.

 

Gross Jr. led the Mountaineer’ special teams’ unit in tackles with 10, including eight on kickoff coverage and two on punt coverage. He had a season-high three tackles against TCU, including forcing a fumble on the opening kickoff of the game. He also was named the WVU Special Teams Champion against Kansas.

 

West Virginia finished its 2016 campaign 10-3 and 7-2 in the Big 12, tying for second place and won 10 games for the ninth time in program history. The seven wins were the most as a league member.

 

The Mountaineers were ranked in both major polls for most of the 2016 season, spending time in the Top 10, and finished No. 18 in the final Associated Press Poll and No. 17 in the Amway Coaches’ Poll.