today's presser

haven't watched/listened yet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRQfC80po3g

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At night, the ice weasels come.

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"F--- everyone who isn't us."
#Team128

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I’ve never understood why people take anything in a press conference at face value. The coach really has no obligation to give fans true insight into the program and likely would be at a disadvantage if he did. All a coach can do in a presser is hold serve or take a step backward (Kelly pounding his fist). There is no reason to try to “win” the press conference.

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At night, the ice weasels come.

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Dammit we're angry and we want answers. But no answer will suffice.

At the very least, we want to be sure someone's head is on a stake with regard to accountability.

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He's full on admitting that he (and his team) listened to the "run the table to the playoffs" chatter instead of focusing on NIU.

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And how they want Leonard to operate within it. Last week, there were no concerns about Leonard throwing deep. Immediately before the game, the message was "he's going to play within the offense, doesn't need anything spectacular, etc." Now he's saying that the deep shots are there to be had.

Maybe I'm just annoyed with his delivery lately, but he seems to be flip-flopping all over the place about what the offense is supposed to look like, how's he going to operate within it, what his capabilities are, blah, blah. I know he shouldn't be divulging state secrets (ie, we know Leonard can't throw the deep ball, so we're gonna have to work underneath in the passing game), but there are red flags flying everywhere.

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They kept Leonard stationary in the pocket a lot more often than even just a week prior, which doesn't serve him or the OL well. They also gave Love and Price fewer than 20 touches combined. I think the latter has 9 total thus far and was only on the field for 13 snaps versus NIU. Denbrock must do a better job of incorporating his biggest weapons into the flow of the offense.

Also, if Leonard is injured during the game, then he needs to be pulled out until it’s confirmed that he's physically sound and good to go. Throwing him out there at less than 100% when we either can't or won't use him as a running threat (which we did basically not at all after he came down on his left shoulder) is a mistake. We have a capable QB2 and should not hesitate to turn to him at a moment's notice.

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Can't imagine he's too satisfied with the situation either.

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but how could those two be so bad in pass pro that neither can even be on the field in those situations? It's like a cascading erosion of our offense.

Not that these things haven't been mentioned, but I'm surprised how much of the ire here is focused on Leonard and his sacking when the entire operation is sputtering.

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The idea that Ford needs to be in on 3rd and long no matter what is a lazy assumption.

It might be a good starting point, as a way to keep Price and Love fresh, and to get Ford some plays situationally that minimizes the lost talent of Love/Price. But when the game is close in the second half, or on crunch time drives, we need guys out there who can do something with the touches, and Ford isn't that guy.

For example, in the final drive of the first half, why was Ford out there?

1:14, 2nd & 4: Ford catches a pass for 6 yards.
0:54, 1st & 10: Ford run for no gain.

Then later that drive, Aneyas Williams runs for 4 yards on 3rd & 7 with 12 seconds left.

It's like they have these rotations set well ahead of time, and are going to go with them, no matter what the game situation is.

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Ie, Gi'Bran Payne is the short yardage/3rd down back. Seems like Ford is that guy this year. The beats have talked about Williams being the most effective pass blocker of the group.

But its pretty criminal that Price has fewer than 10 touches in 2 games this year.

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But so much of the offense on Saturday reminded me of some of those games in the later Kelly years when the opposing defenses would say after the game that they knew exactly what was coming on every play.

Nobody on the offensive staff seems to be earning their paychecks so far this year.

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I remember it with Davie specifically, and Willingham did the weird thing where we put in backup wideouts on running plays. I don't remember it under Kelly.

Come to think of it, wasn't Denbrock responsible for WR subs under Willingham?

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During (I believe) Rees-called games where the opposition claimed they knew what was coming quite often. Can't recall specifics, and it may have been wildly overexaggerated.

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That was Freeman/Rees, but it feels like that would translate to prior years

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and I believe this was in the A&M postgame: "I don't know anything about quarterbacks."

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[image]

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ND came out and scored an opening drive TD
ND's safety went for a user-pick, missed, gave up an 83 yard TD
3&out and a 39 yard punt gave NIU a short field for a FG
Leonard pick 1 gave them a short field for a FG
Nice TD drive to open the 2nd half gave us the lead
2 3 and outs on the offense
Late Leonard pick gave them a short field for the winning FG

I guess I'm not seeing the team as having been underprepared or flat.

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I'm a bad take machine!

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blocked FG.

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We allowed NIU to burn what, five minutes and convert multiple times when the chips were down?

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We didn't hear any 'NIU pulled out stuff they hadn't put on tape.'

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I'm a bad take machine!

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up with answers for what they were putting on tape.

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instead of attacking.

As I understand it, this is exactly what the NIU offense does.

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And we never really figured that out. We certainly didn't have them over-scouted that is for sure.

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buy the idea that a lot of the shifting and lateral motion made the front 7 hesitate and not play upfield. Which would contribute to them getting knocked back repeatedly.

And I suppose the amount of criticism that requires would depend on whether that's standard NIU stuff, or whether it was a new wrinkle. If that's their offense, then it speaks to some real shitty scouting and preparation.

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waiting to see who would get the ball. So they just kept giving it to the FB up the middle for 4 yards. I'm really surprised that we never implemented some of the strategies we have used successfully against Navy recently. Take away the fullback and attack and disrupt. At a certain point, make them give the ball to their fifth-rate WR on the "jet sweep" and count on our DBs to make the tackle.

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basically that they had us busy trying to find our gaps rather than playing downhill, which a) seemed totally true and b) is something we should've been ready for; it was like we weren't expecting to have to play 3 LBs at once even though that's clearly their game

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off schedule, but then they would make it up on second to get third and short.

So many third and shorts, in fact, that it conjured up my memories of USC 2011. I'm just glad we have multiple third down songs now.

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How many times did a LB stand someone up and then give up 5 more yards after an OL helped out?

Lotta ND defensive guys standing and watching.

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If I had the stomach for it, I’d rewatch the game to see if that was really true. But, there definitely seemed to be some effort missing in winning 1-on-1 at the LOS.

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At night, the ice weasels come.

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Try hard guy but can’t drop a double team.

I’d wrinkle in some 46 man free on first down.

They won’t do it but they need to take away A gap double teams as always available. They have the personnel to do this as a package unless they are playing against Dan Marino.

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Defensive line remains a difficult place to recruit.

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him No. 2. It's not Hinish's fault that 2 games into 2024 we've seen zero meaningful career snaps from Ford (departed), Houston, and Vernon.

Actually, recruiting at DL has gone pretty well. There's been some bad luck with injuries (Houston's shoulder and whatever caused Ford to retire). Not sure what's happened with Vernon (though he has bounced back and forth between SDE and DT, which isn't overly helpful).

We need Mukam to step up as part of the rotation and then get Rubio back.

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It's much more likely he has no idea what happened, so he assumes that must be an explanation. It's coach-speak just like everything else. I mean, you have to have some answers, that's an easy one to just toss out there in lieu of better ones.

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We didn't take NIU seriously so we coasted in prep, and panicked when they didn't just go away.

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It was painfully obvious that we were in a dog fight and in serious danger of losing the game, having been outplayed starting from immediately after the opening drive.
We finally get a good drive going, are running the ball a bit better, and instead of playing smart and to win, we throw a deep pass , very low percentage play, and do the only thing we absolutely could not do there, which is turn it over. It was extremely high risk and we would you possibly do that vs NIU?
It certainly appears that a big goal for the week was to “prove” we can throw downfield and we wanted there to make some sort of statement. There is zero chance we’d have called that play vs TAMU in the same situation.
It was arrogant and stupid. And makes me wonder what they see in Leonard in practice, if anything, that hasn’t shown up at all in 2 games.
Convert there, keep moving the ball down the field, run the clock, get 7 or even 3 (if not blocked) and we win the game.

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He's also right. It's a huge problem for him right now. Good to have it out there I guess, even if it's two years late. Pretty huge failure to admit to publicly

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as a reason for the loss, rather than throwing the QB under the bus which was deserved in each of Marshall, Stanford, and NIU.

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I'm a bad take machine!

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Which would also get to the "playoff fever" stuff Freeman was talking about. It's pretty clear that he didn't really have his Plans B and C laid out if we were in a bad one. After that first drive he went straight to "Let's see what else is working" mode

Also clear that they hadn't given consideration to the fact that Leonard is anything but a "gamer." Just ding dong stuff

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I saw a lot of him at Duke. Just kind of a fluke. He was just on my screen a bunch.

THAT dude was a gamer. Not sure if Elko or someone else there was the RL Whisperer, but if you know of that history, it makes sense you'd expect him to be able to step up.

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Sometimes I rhyme slow sometimes I rhyme quick.

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Almost exactly that he would absolutely will the team to victory in a situation like Saturday. I'm still laughing every time I picture that second interception

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If the ND coaching staff just has no idea how to push the kid's buttons.

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"Let's use this game to get Brandon Wimbush reps at complex multi-read pocket passing...oh shit he's terrible at it!"

We managed to pull that game out (and the following game against Vanderbilt), but had to switch QBs to save the season...which in the end was very successful.

I think we're going to see something similar this year. The change may need to be mid-game @Purdue, though.

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It's deja vu all over again (right down the Holtz-Rice quote!)

https://bluegraysky.com/forum/index.php?mode=thread&id=399389

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At night, the ice weasels come.

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under Freeman. Every time we build program momentum, we have a letdown performance.

Now, he's also been very good at circling the wagons. If he wasn't, he'd be headed out the door. So let's see him do it again. All our goals are in front of us, but with absolutely zero room for error.

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"fireable offense". Not as a one off, but as an example of a pattern of behavior.

You know you have a chance to run to the playoffs, get a big win on the road, and are playing a team that--while a MAC team--has a lot of returning experience. Everyone's telling you "beware the letdown game"...but you still let it happen.

I get the "live in the moment" stuff, but if he and the staff didn't have some insight into how NIU could cause us trouble based on pre-season planning, that's an even bigger indictment of his coaching awareness.

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Lou used to overdo it, but the message was clear.

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he talks about it like it's a revelation for him/the team.

This is a guy who's been around football (and sports) his whole life. And this is one of the most well-understood tropes. Yet he's seemingly surprised he needs to account for it? Doesn't matter that it's the "first time in his three years" we've won the big early game.

Which makes me think that it's not that he doesn't understand it. It's just that he doesn't know how to handle it.

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"F--- everyone who isn't us."
#Team128

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I mean, it is definitely not good that our 3rd year HC is just learning this lesson now.

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Especially considering that BK was ex-communicated (exorcised?) by many in his 9th game of his initial season. Partially understandable seeing how that was B2B losses to Tulsa and Navy, and 5th loss in 9 games.

But at what point are we done with this type of game under Freeman? Not sure anyone batted an eye after Marshall in 2022, or even 3-9 Standford. There was an ugly Cal win mixed in there to.

In 2023, it was Louisville but different. Louisville had a pretty decent team. That ignores the luck we got at Duke.

I guess what I am asking is; when can we dispense of these shit-down-your-leg, program-changing losses (or games)?

Thanks Marcus for the candid honesty that these kids were reading their own press clippings but shouldn't this program under his watch learned not to do that after year 1?

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after BK's second game and first loss: "Coach Kelly, when will you be stepping down?" ".... so you'll be taking an 'interim' label?"

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Does it change the narrative if NIU (and A&M) go 10-2 or better? I’m not saying they will, because I think their QB isn’t great and had an incredibly lucky TD pass, but Brown is the real deal at RB and they have an experienced OL.

It was a shitty loss, but we don’t yet know if it was a colossal failure or overlooking a solid opponent, neither of which should happen, of course.

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At night, the ice weasels come.

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Also, both teams could suck and it won't really matter if we go 11-1.

I do think NIU is a contender to win the MAC (which was already the consensus before our game), but probably not deserving of the No. 25 ranking or the G5 playoff spot.

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https://x.com/NDFootballPR/status/1833177363275722815

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He should get benched during the game if his performance dictates it, not before.

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this past weekend. If they work, great. If they don't... "Oh damn, it seems Leonard got banged up, we better let him get healthy on the bench..."

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There is no bag of tricks. Everyone knows what the ND offense will attempt to do for the first couple of drives and Purdue will be scheming all week to stop it.

I just don't see the point of giving Riley two 3-and-outs to start the game and risk digging a 10-14 point hole in the first quarter.

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At night, the ice weasels come.

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Is that it provides a way of getting to Angeli in short order without necessarily stirring up a QB controversy.

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Freeman has preached competition from day 1. He talks to the team about going out and trying to take someone's job.

We don't need to manage this, we need to address it head on -- Leonard hasn't produced, and the team needs to see that Freeman's big picture message isn't just a bunch of BS.

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The only way we'd have a QB controversy is if Angeli, Minchey, and Carr all also suck. If that is the case, this season is doomed. Might as well just play the young guys and let them learn, or maybe just fire everyone.

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At night, the ice weasels come.

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77% completion rate, 7 to 1 td int ratio, and 220 qbr. Not sustainable with a green ol perhaps, but definitely good enough to give starter snaps to.

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skillset that can bring some stability to the offense. And the ability to execute plays more on time and on target that can let us maximize the skills of our receiver group. None of those WRs have gamewrecker ability, but they do have some tools.

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Screw around too long and you’ll lose to Purdue, too.

Change should have been announced to give whatever QB full first-team reps.

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is definitely not a gameplan for success. Especially on the road against a team that knows that have a realistic shot at pulling the upset against a hated opponent.

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At night, the ice weasels come.

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Thus far Leonard's had serious accuracy issues, and the picks in my mind were the biggest reason for the loss.

Whether that's bc of talent or he's not good under pressure or some other mental aspect, I don't know if it matters.

Angeli or Carr wouldn't be a Heisman vote getter, but we need to find the calm accuracy from the pocket.

Can always go back to Leonard, and can definitely use him situationally.

I asked one of the beats pre A&M, if ACC coaches were saying Hartman was more accurate than Leonard (which they were, tho I no longer have the citation), and assuming Buchner is a more electric runner than Leonard (an opinion), then what data is indicating Leonard is going to play better than those 2.

The response as I recall was that Leonard is 6'4" and a great runner and that his ceiling is so much higher.

Sort of a wishful thinking eval in retrospect.

We don't even need elite QB play, but throws to nowhere and bad throws to somewhere will lose more games.

Can go back to Leonard only if we have to.

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widespread blame. Called out the coaches, receivers, and QB specifically.

I get you want widespread accountability but shocking to me if they're going to burn another week of starter's reps on Leonard.

It also sounds like Freeman really, really likes Leonard. I hope next week he isn't doing a mea culpa on having played favorites to the detriment of the team

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Meanwhile, I will commit to learning how to spell "Angeli."

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there is no reason to make it public.

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the Polo Grounds

Nick Saban wasn't bsing when he spoke about process.

Neither was Joe Ross

Or Bob Ross. We all need a little Bob Ross right now.

An adulterous hack?

Don't bother. Save your time. Coach speak bullshit.

Isn’t that coaching 101?

Because we are on our 2nd stage of grief

I don't know, it seems pretty revealing

He also can't seem to figure out his message on the offense

The effort Saturday seemed like sabotage.

I'm also confused by the Price usage

Part of the problem is so many 3rd & longs

The situational personnel usage needs to be reconsidered

McCullough loves situation-specific personnel

I know it can't be true

That happened in the late Kelly years?

I recall seeing post-game quotes

I think I remember hearing that after the Stanford loss

It was probably 2019 Michigan

Well that would have its own explanation

the one true thing he's said about quarterbacks

A man's got to know his limitations

I don't see preparation as a factor at all

Turnovers are killers

And we functionally had three. The two picks plus the first

couldn't get off the field at critical times

is that really a prep issue, though?

It's a prep issue of you didn't bother coming

Freeman said they had our defense flowing sideways

They owned us on second down

I'd have to go back and watch again, but I'd

Agreed. It felt like those years we played Navy and sat back

Freeman mentioned that in his presser

It was so weird. So many first down stuffs to get them

So many Bush Pushes

ND seemed to be getting destroyed on the LOS

Donovan Hinish was a traffic cone.

He’s not big enough for high D1

He's great as a No. 3 guy. The Rubio injury made

There's no reason to take that at face value.

it's the simplest answer though, isn't it?

The 2nd and 1 call proved that we didn’t take them seriously

Exactly right.

Agree. Bold thong to put front and center

I guess it's better to put 'underprepared' out there

I suspect Denbrock came in ready to "work on some stuff"

On RL as a gamer...

He was that guy against A&M.

That is also the bill of goods we were sold

Makes one wonder...

It was identical to 2018 Ball State

Ball State postgame thread

I was hesitant to click on a “bold thong” post

adding "bold thong" as a thread tag

Is there such a thing as a “timid” thong?

Lol. As in like an entry-level.

Gotta drive pageviews

We have a serious "read our own press clippings" issue

While I admire the honesty, file that one under

"Rice University scares the hell out of me"

I'll be honest. It insults our intelligence when

Rat poison

I'm not feeling him so I'll put myself in timeout.

understandable

Seems like Irish fans have been a patient bunch

I still remember Stuffing the Passer's "press conference"

STP rabbit hole briefly derailed my day.

always a good idea

For all we know, NIU is ‘95 Northwestern

It absolutely does

Purdue depth chart: Leonard, QB1

This is the right call

First 2 drives should be similar to the first drive

Doesn't Purdue know that as well?

My not-completely serious point

There shouldn't be a controversy

This

Not huge sample size for Angeli numbers, but