Four days after West Virginia’s hopes of an eight-win season came crashing down with a thud in the season’s final game, the Mountaineers released a statement telling the world Dana Holgorsen would return for his sixth season as head coach at West Virginia.
“After evaluating our football program after the close of the regular season, I believe that continuity is best for our program,” athletic director Shane Lyons said in the release just days after West Virginia’s 24-23 loss to Kansas State capped a 7-5 regular season in Holgorsen’s fifth year in charge in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Questions about Holgorsen’s job security became commonplace in 2015, particularly as the Mountaineers suffered a four-game losing streak in October -- losing to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and TCU -- the Big 12’s top four teams who had a combined record of 30-1 heading into November.