MORGANTOWN - It was a day of pleasant distractions for those following WVU athletics.
Especially at Milan Puskar Stadium.
In the first half of the Mountaineers' Big 12 game against Baylor, fans sitting in the cold were treated to some live action of their men's basketball team upsetting No. 6 Virginia. Loud roars went up when they saw Bob Huggins' team seal the deal in Charlottesville.
Of course, WVU fans have also had a nice distraction in San Jose, California, as their women's soccer team goes for the school's first non-rifle national championship on Sunday.
And then came the ESPN Saturday report - confirmed by the Gazette-Mail - that Mountaineer football coach Dana Holgorsen had signed a new five-year deal.
He won't be moving to Oregon. He won't be moving to Houston. His son Logan can stay put at Morgantown High.
Insiders, you should know, knew the negotiations were in the works. That's why reports connecting the coach to other jobs were mostly looked upon as innocuous.
Anyway, Holgorsen is now signed. The decision has been made. Those complaining about the effect on recruiting of no new contract can be still. And perhaps, just perhaps, the announcement will help there. Can't hurt. As of Saturday evening, WVU's 2017 recruiting class was ranked No. 51 by recruiting sites Rivals and 247 Sports and No. 57 by Scout.
Holgorsen made it through the "gap year" to connect him and former Florida quarterback Will Grier, who will be eligible to play for West Virginia next year. (At a point to be determined.) That should provide buzz and help with 2017 season ticket sales.
But, um, to the game at Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday. On Wednesday, I wrote it set up as a classic trap game - if the Mountaineers allowed it to be so.
Well, they allowed it to be. After a nice bounce back against Iowa State, WVU struggled mightily against a Baylor team that had been crashing and burning, losing five straight.
Mountaineer quarterback Skyler Howard struggled mightily after receiving a nice ovation on Senior Day from a crowd of 49,229. Until, that is, he hit Gary Jennings in a surprise target that went for a 58-yard score. Howard had completed 8 of 23 passes for 49 yards before more than doubling the yardage total on the one toss.
It woke up the Mountaineers, who then recovered a fumble and took over possession at the Baylor 6. Holgorsen coached like a man with a new contract, gambling by calling a quarterback sneak (although behind All-America center candidate Tyler Orlosky) on a fourth-and-1 situation. He was rewarded yet again.
So, some thoughts on this team?
Well, one can't truly name a regular-season MVP. There are a lot of good players on the team, but, unlike, say, Oklahoma, which has Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook, not many great ones.
Howard was probably the most instrumental and symbolic, if not the most consistent. Rugged. Gutty. Yet I'd go with Orlosky. He's also been a leader, probably is the most talented Mountaineer and also is symbolic as a representative of the offensive line. You know how Holgorsen kept plugging in running backs and all kept producing? There's a reason for that: linemen Orlosky, Kyle Bosch, Adam Pankey and company. My No. 2 vote would go to Rasul Douglas, who entered Saturday's game leading the nation in interceptions.
But Saturday overall was a day of pleasant distractions for WVU fans. It was a day of distracted play from the Mountaineer players.
Today, though, WVU - its football, basketball and women's soccer teams - can all focus on what appears to be a bright future.
Contact Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827 or mitchvingle@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MitchVingle.