Talk about plenty to talk about. Imagine the many things we can discuss when we meet again at 2 o’clock this afternoon. The bowl, the basketball team, the sideline attire of Bob Huggins, the Jill Kramer recruiting class and the Kent State coaching search.

(Update: Barry Brunetti is gone.)

Best of a multitude of texts/emails from the past 24 hours … and I probably earned this one: Will you and Mullen ride a toboggan built for two at Kent State?

As that snarky text might suggest, I’ve actually favored Mullen as a person and as an instructor while at WVU. There have been times I’ve aimed blame at him (TBA, fourth-and-manageable and this year’s overly diverse offense come to mind), but I’ve also been, I think, pretty fair.

I mean, fair to the point people suggest he and I will be seen sledding on the Kent State campus sometime soon. I’d have to assume that you assume a snowball fight and cocoa with marshmallows will follow.

Mine hasn’t always been a popular stance, but I do think he’s a terrific guy who’s fun to talk to, in good times and in bad. I also think he’s been a bit misappreciated at WVU, in good times and in bad.

There were bad times, to be sure. He’s the one who calls and those plays were not working as recently as six weeks ago. Then again, the O.C. is a target and fingers point at him, no matter what.

I also think, and thought, there is something to be said about three quarterbacks in three years and needing time to do what needed to be done. To that, he’s not fumbling or throwing interceptions or getting pushed back at the line of scrimmage, and while I am not allowed to observe practice, I trust he’s not teaching those things, either.

That said, I really did wonder, as recently as yesterday, what the future might hold for him. And then, suddenly, he’s a candidate for that Kent State job and I have strong indications he’ll line up an interview today or tomorrow — if it hasn’t already been arranged since the news first slipped out yesterday.

I spent some time yesterday looking at the numbers for his three years here. It hasn’t been consistent or wholly effective, but it hasn’t been miserable, either.

The first year was OK and I still think there was a struggle to balance the past/present with Pat White and the future without him. When given the time to design and implement a bowl game plan, the Mountaineers finally trended toward who they are now and passed the ball a lot and had arguably their best day on offense that season.

Last year, you could certainly argue Jarrett Brown did indeed change against Marshall … and that, perhaps, he didn’t have a good season all together. The offensive line was also very green and not very good. Combined, there wasn’t a lot of progress in the plan.  

Yet Eu got a lot of experience in games and in practice last year and this season, when he was good, the offense was good. When the team didn’t turn the ball over, it was very effective. Those are simple explanations/excuses, but I do believe they can stand up and defend themselves.

It occurs to me the offense could be onto something and there are a lot of underclassmen coming back. Mullen and the Mountaineers haven’t had that type of quality, to say nothing of quantity, in continuity. At the very worst, Mullen’s reputation is getting polished this week.