NEWS » n the crash.Investigators have said no evidence of alc

West Virginias Skyler Howard is counting on a record 2015 bowl performance to help put to rest all that talk that he wasnt talented enough to be a starting quarterback in the Big 12.Howard heads into his senior season hoping for much more against teams he watched growing up in Fort Worth, Texas.As a kid you want to be one of the elite quarterbacks, he said. But if Im not, thats OK, too. Because Ive never been that guy, actually. Ive always came from the bottom. It doesnt surprise me that Ive got to work my way up. Im excited to do it. I like being the underdog because its what Im used to.Attaining elite status might be difficult considering nearly all the starting quarterbacks returning in the Big 12, among them Oklahomas Baker Mayfield, Baylors Seth Russell, Texas Techs Patrick Mahomes and Oklahoma States Mason Rudolph.Lightly recruited and often hearing he was too slow and too short, the 6-foot Howard fought for respect in his first full season as a starter in 2015. He was fifth among conference quarterbacks both in passing yards and total offense, and fourth in touchdown passes. He also threw the second-most interceptions.The math shows Howard needs to improve his accuracy, and hell get that chance behind a veteran offensive line and a speedy group of returning receivers.Howard completed just 55 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,145 yards with 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Although his receivers dropped multiple throws, Howard takes the brunt of the blame.My completion percentage definitely needs some work, Howard said. Thats one thing that Im focusing on right now is just putting the ball in play. If I have more completions, then I have more yards.A confidence boost came in the Cactus Bowl, where Howard threw for a bowl-record 532 yards and five touchdowns in a 43-42 win over Arizona State as the Mountaineers ended the season 8-5.That game let Howard and his teammates establish a mentality that we can go out there and do this every game, he said. It raised our bar higher to expect good things to happen rather than not. I feel like it carried over into the offseason.Howard also aims to avoid repeating his mistakes. During losses to ranked teams Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and TCU in October, Howard failed to complete half his throws in each game and was intercepted six times. Three of those came against Oklahoma, when he also had two fumbles, one of which was returned for a touchdown.West Virginia was seventh in the 10-team league in third down conversions. Coach Dana Holgorsen wants to give Howard more time as a pocket passer and better hone his timing with his receivers, including on intermediate routes.West Virginia threw the ball only 41 percent of the time last year amid the emergence of Big 12 rushing leader Wendell Smallwood. Smallwood is now in the NFL, meaning Howard could see his production chances increase.Winning games and losing games, everybody points the finger at me, Holgorsen said. Being effective in the passing game, everybody points the finger at him.Top receiver Shelton Gibson, who had 887 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago, has no doubts about Howards abilities to remain in top form when the season begins at home Sept. 3 against Missouri.Me and Skyler had that connection so long ago, Gibson said. Its just there. Hes getting it done with the other receivers. Everythings coming together.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.orgFake Jerseys For Sale . 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Fake MLB Jerseys . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss.MIAMI -- Somber Miami Marlins players and personnel escorted a hearse carrying the body of star pitcher Jose Fernandez from the teams ballpark Wednesday, as the farewell for their beloved teammate marched on.As players and fans honored Fernandezs memory, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio sought a safety probe into the rock jetty where a boat crash claimed the lives of the baseball star and two friends.Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, manager Don Mattingly, hitting coach Barry Bonds and the players including Marcel Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton wore white T-shirts emblazoned with Fernandezs image and the letters RIP as they slowly walked the hearse away from Marlins Park in Miamis Little Havana neighborhood. Many in the crowd of about 1,000 chanted Jose! Jose! and some waved Cuban flags in honor of the popular Cuban-American player.Jose Portuondo, 55, came to the event with his dog, Sophie. He said Fernandez, 24, was a shining example for Cubans who often risk their lives at sea to come to the U.S. seeking freedom. Fernandez defected from the communist island at age 15.His is the story of many in South Florida. He brings it home, said Portuondo, who drives a city trolley bus. Being here, the sadness is just thick in the air.Junko Sasaki, 40, who is Japanese but spends a lot of time in South Florida, brought an offering of fruit, rice and water to a makeshift memorial to Fernandez that has sprouted up outside the ballpark. She said it was a traditional Japanese way of ensuring the honored dead have what they need in the afterlife.It is a Japanese custom. Every day he can eat, she said, adding that Fernandez once tossed her a baseball from the field at a game.Hundreds of fans streamed into St. Brendans Catholic Church later Wednesday for a public viewing, which was scheduled to last into the night. Many said they felt compelled to come not only because of Fernandezs popularity as a player but also because he was a hero to many in the Cuban-American community.I have to be here. Im a huge fan, said Rick Gerena, 31, an environmental project manager. He loved everybody. You almost felt like he was one of us out there.Inside the church, mourners filed past a closed casket framed by flower arrangements in the shapes of the U.S. and Cuban flags, with a large family photo of Fernandez off to one side. Many touched the casket lightly and crossed themselves.A private funeral Mass is set Thursday for the Fernandez family and Marlins players and personnel.Rubio, a Florida Republican, sent a letter Wednesday to the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers asking for a review of the cenntury-old jetty and whether it poses a chronic danger to boaters.dddddddddddd. The jetty, which extends out from Miamis port, is difficult to see at night especially at high tide, Rubio said.While our hearts are heavy with grief for the numerous lives lost every year on the water, we can do more to save others, Rubio wrote. As a boater myself, I have experienced firsthand the challenges this particular jetty can present to others trying to navigate around it.Shortly after the 32-foot boat owned by Fernandez crashed early Sunday, the Coast Guard said a lighted buoy that marks the channel opening at the end of the jetty was working properly. The jetty itself does not have lights, but officials say routine reviews have concluded the existing navigational aids are adequate for safety.Back at the ballpark, the Marlins still had a game to play Wednesday night against the New York Mets. Mets manager Terry Collins and some Mets players were out on the plaza for the procession of Fernandezs hearse.I thought it was important to be there, Collins said. This is a very large fraternity, and its an exclusive fraternity. Its hard to get in. You need the representation of everybody else out there. We were represented very well and I was proud of that.Mattingly said he would talk to the team about trying to get back to baseball.Ive never been involved in anything like that. I just keep going back to his mom. Its hard to see that. Its hard to imagine that, he said.The cause of the crash is being investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In addition to Fernandez, Emilio Jesus Macias, 27, and 25-year-old Eduardo Rivero also died in the crash.Investigators have said no evidence of alcohol or drug use was found at the scene, but medical examiner toxicology reports are pending. A Miami River bar and restaurant has confirmed that Fernandez was there before the crash, but it is unclear if he was drinking.Fernandez was an emerging baseball star known for his exuberant personality and style of play. He was National League Rookie of the Year in 2013 and was a two-time All-Star. This year he set a single-season Marlins strikeout record with 253.Instead of flowers, the Fernandez family asks for charitable contributions to the JDF16 Foundation, which is online at www.MiamiFoundation.org/jdf16 .-----AP Sports Writer Steve Wine in Miami contributed to this story.-----Follow Curt Anderson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/miamicurt ' ' '