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Thanks for all your questions in today's chat. Here's where you can find the full transcript. If you didn't get your question posted, send it to the mailbag and you could see it on the Big 12 blog on Friday:

Michael (Flower Mound, TX): Could Baylor really be the best in the Big 12?

Jake Trotter: Sure, why not? They've looked like the best team so far along with Oklahoma. And they get the Sooners in Waco on Nov. 7.

Robert (El Paso): I think Kliff Kingsbury has done a pretty good job so far, but he went for a fourth down against TCU that was ill-advised. What are your thoughts on Kliff so far?

Jake Trotter: Kliff has been the Big 12 coach of the year so far, in my humble opinion.

ouwooferman (Houston): Bigger environment: Playing at ND or BU?

Jake Trotter: Notre Dame. Better team? Baylor.

Kyle (Iowa): What do you think is key for Iowa State to upset Texas? Establishing a running game or will it be more on the defensive side of the ball?

Jake Trotter: Getting Aaron Wimberly going. He's the sparkplug in that offense. If they can get him in space, they have a chance to move the ball.

Kevin (Reno, NV): What took Dana Holgorsen so long to place Clint Trickett in the starting lineup? I thought he was penciled in when he arrived to Morgantown?

Jake Trotter: Strange, right? I thought for sure Holgorsen would give Trickett a shot during the OU game when it had become evident WV was not scoring with [Paul] Millard at QB.

Jeff (Dallas): Better Defense - OU or TCU?

Jake Trotter: Slight edge to TCU when all its guys are healthy.

JakeJones (OKC): Which Big 12 team should be on upset alert this weekend?

Jake Trotter: Texas. Iowa State found its offensive footing in Tulsa, and Ames on a Thursday night -- that's a setting nobody wants to deal with.

Larry (TX): Which would you consider the better coaching job, USC or Texas (assuming Mack Brown gets smoked by OU)?

Jake Trotter: Texas. More money. More support.

Ryan (Tyler, TX): Jake, who will the Longhorns look to replace DeLoss Dodds?

Jake Trotter: First name I thought of was Oliver Luck. Luck has a law degree from Texas.

Allen (Houston): Still not buying Baylor. When they play these teams with athletes on D, they wont be putting up all those points. Same old Baylor, with a ceiling of 9 wins. Won’t be shocked to see WVU beat them handily.

Jake Trotter: There's always the possibility they become this year's 2012 West Virginia. I don't see it. This Baylor defense is better than last year's West Virginia defense. And this Baylor offense is more complete than last year's West Virginia offense, which really had just 3-4 players.

Jesse (SC): Should a conference expansion occur, what teams would be the prime candidates for the Big 12?

Jake Trotter: The only schools worth adding at this point would be in the ACC. But that would require the ACC crumbling before the Big 12.

Josh (Dallas): Still taking a wait-and-see approach with the entire top 3. None are yet to have a performance against a quality team that makes you think they are playing on the level of a clear favorite. Thoughts?

Jake Trotter: I think that's somewhat fair, but winning in Notre Dame is no small feat, even if the Irish are not as good as last season.

Drew (Houston): Love the work Jake, definitely helps me get through the week until Saturday's games. Is it just me or do fans of other teams seem really upset that Baylor isn't an automatic “W” for their team anymore? Seems like any praise Baylor gets, they try to point out "they haven't played anyone" argument or bring up Baylor's past history claiming they've never finished close to the top of the B12 so they can't this year. While I agree they haven't been tested yet, they sure have obliterated the teams they've face, which is what great teams should do. I've got news for them, this Baylor squad is good and worth all of the attention it is getting.

Jake Trotter: Some outside fans don't believe yet, which is somewhat understandable... what has Baylor ever done other than win 10 games in 2011? But per the eye test, this team is legit, and I think they will begin to prove that as the competition level rises.

Big Ferm (San Diego): As a Baylor fan, it's time to quit talking about it and be about it. Will a convincing victory over WVU on Saturday legitimize the Bears as a real threat to win the Big 12?

Jake Trotter: Baylor won't be legitimate in the eyes of many unless they beat OU Nov. 7. That will be their chance to win the doubters over, too.

Tony (Richmond, CA): Has Sterling Shepherd now officially arrived?

Jake Trotter: Thought he arrived last season?

Jon (Atlanta): Considering Maryland blanked WVU, how much does that say about OK State?

Jake Trotter: Maryland didn't face Trickett. He would have made a difference in that game, though not the ultimate outcome. But it doesn't bode well for OSU. The defense played OK, but didn't dominate an offense that had been completely inept previously.

Dillon (Bedford, PA): Do you think Keith Patterson is due for a raise? It's early but the improvement in WV's defense is pretty amazing so far.

Jake Trotter: It's amazing. The Mountaineers have been stout. Big test coming this weekend.

CJ (Norman): What's your favorite NCAA football food?

Jake Trotter: Ballgame food? Corndogs. Usually walk down from the press box during halftime of games I'm covering to get one.

If you haven't already seen the video of Dana Holgorsen sipping Red Bull on the sideline, enjoy.

• Texas AD DeLoss Dodds is expected to announce plans for his resignation today. A look at some potential candidates to replace him. The Longhorns also lost a legend Monday in former quarterback James Street.
• One year after giving up 807 yards in Morgantown, Baylor is ready to show how far its defense has come against West Virginia.
• Could Oklahoma find a way to use both Blake Bell and Trevor Knight to challenge opposing defenses?
• Even after one of the best games of his career, TCU safety Sam Carter remains his own toughest critic.
• Texas Tech is sticking with Baker Mayfield at quarterback this week. Is staring the season 7-0 a realistic possibility?
• Charlie Weis still remembers drafting Kliff Kingsbury while with the Patriots. What's going on with the receivers at Kansas? Ex-Jayhawk Marquel Combs has transferred to Southeastern Louisiana.
• Still no word on whether Oklahoma State CB Justin Gilbert will be punished for getting ejected from the WVU game. J.W. Walsh regrets audibling out of a goal-line run in that loss. OSU landed the fastest recruit in the country Monday.
• WVU is down to one healthy quarterback, creating one big question mark for Saturday.
• Paul Rhoads has found his guy at running back in Aaron Wimberly.
• Kansas State is preparing for a disappointed Oklahoma State team this week and trying to fix its own flaws.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma’s defense has passed test after test this season.

Yet, TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin brings a test the Sooners have not seen in 2013 when TCU visits Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday. It’s a scary prospect for Sooners’ fans nine months after they watched Johnny Manziel run around, weave through and flat out outrun the Sooners defense in the Cotton Bowl last January.

“He’s a great running quarterback and he has a great arm,” defensive end Geneo Grissom said. “We’re going to have our hands full keeping him in the pocket.”

Quite simply, OU’s defense has been outstanding during the 4-0 start. The defense has been the driving, consistent force while the offense struggled to find its way early. Louisiana-Monroe, West Virginia and Tulsa brought spread attacks to the table, testing the Sooners’ secondary, while Notre Dame brought a physical run game. The 4-0 record makes it clear that OU passed both tests.

Defensive coordinator Mike Stoops’ move to a three-man front to help increase the overall versatility and make the unit faster has paid off thus far but OU hasn’t seen a runner at the quarterback position like the Horned Frogs’ signal-caller. And Stoops didn’t think twice when asked if Boykin presents a test as a running quarterback which his defense hasn’t seen in 2013.

“Without question," Stoops said. "When you look at his speed, athleticism, ability to run and cut and then throw the football, he’s a very dynamic player.”

Fortunately for OU, it won’t be the first time it had to deal with Boykin’s unique running ability. One game before the Sooners’ defense was embarrassed by Manziel, they handled Boykin well in a 24-17 win on Dec. 1, 2012. He was held to 36 yards on 11 carries while completing 17 of 31 passes for 231 yards and one touchdown.

Yet, the majority of the Sooners’ defense didn’t make major contributions on that day, watching from the sidelines as their teammates slowed down the Horned Frogs offense. Seven new starters will line up against Boykin on Saturday with the hope of being as prepared as possible to keep a TCU offense, which has struggled this season, under wraps.

“A lot of guys don’t necessarily know what kind of athlete he is,” said cornerback Aaron Colvin, one of the few Sooners’ defenders who was on the field in Fort Worth that afternoon. “But when you watch him on film or TV, you can see he’s elusive with the ball. You can tell them all you want but when you see a guy on the field, it’s a different feel than what you’ve seen on film.”

OU’s scheme changes were made, in part, for games like this and quarterbacks like Boykin. Their 3-3-5 system gets more speed and athleticism on the field to help deal with athletic quarterbacks who can make defenses pay with their legs and arm.

One of the key players on Saturday could be linebacker Eric Striker, the main player who has seen increased playing time in the 3-3-5 system. The sophomore spends most of his time as a rush linebacker-- his hit on quarterback Tommy Rees caused Corey Nelson’s interception against Notre Dame last Saturday-- and he will be asked to help corral Boykin on Saturday.

“He’s very shifty and fast,” Striker said. “Our scheme will help [contain him) and our athletic ability [will help contain him].”

While Boykin is far from a Manziel-like test for the Sooners, the sophomore is a different test than they've faced this season. It’s a test the Sooners feel better prepared for this season than they may have been in the past.

“We’re faster and being more aggressive,” Stoops said of his defense. “We’ll, hopefully, use that aggressiveness to contain him, but you still have to be able to control their run game as well.”

Here are the unsung heroes in the Big 12 during Week 5.

Defensive end Nick Kron, Iowa State: The sophomore wasn’t dominant nor did he have eye-popping numbers. Yet he recovered two fumbles in the Cyclones’ 38-21 win over Tulsa. He was consistently around the football and ready to pounce when Golden Hurricane quarterback Cody Green got sloppy with his ball handling on Thursday night. Kron added one tackle and one tackle for loss as ISU secured its first win of the season.

Linebacker Marcus Mallet, TCU: Teammate Sam Carter grabbed the headlines with his two interceptions but Mallet was a beast in the middle of the Horned Frogs’ defense. The junior had 10 tackles including four tackles for loss, one sack and one fumble forced in TCU’s 48-17 win over SMU. If Mallet is a consistent, productive player in the middle for the Horned Frogs, they should be one of the Big 12's top defenses.

Running back Charles Sims, West Virginia: The Houston transfer was overshadowed by the gutsy performance from quarterback Clint Trickett but led the Mountaineers with 157 all-purpose yards. Sims had 82 receiving yards, 60 rushing yards and 15 kick return yards in WVU’s 31-20 win over Oklahoma State. Sims averaged 6.17 yards per touch on offense. He's been the Mountaineers most consistent and explosive offensive player this season.

Safety Shamiel Gary, Oklahoma State: The Cowboys safety has looked like a different player this season. He’s been solid in OSU’s secondary and made several key open field tackles against WVU to keep the Pokes in the game. The senior finished with nine tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass breakup. Improved safety play is critical for the Cowboys as they look to rebound against Kansas State this weekend and insert themselves back into the Big 12 title hunt.

Defensive end Geneo Grissom, Oklahoma: The most overlooked starting defensive lineman on the Sooners’ squad, Grissom has been solid throughout the season. He lead OU defensive linemen with six tackles including 0.5 tackles for loss in OU’s 35-21 win over Notre Dame. Grissom has joined Charles Tapper and Jordan Phillips to give the Sooners a much improved defensive front in 2013. Now that they have gained respect, it will be critical for Grissom and company to continue to improve throughout the season if OU wants to make a BCS bowl appearance.

Note: Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas and Texas Tech had byes in Week 5.

Brandon Chatmon discusses one good thing in the Big 12 -- Oklahoma's pass defense as the Sooners ended nonconference play strong with a 35-21 win over Notre Dame.

Well done, Vince Gilligan.

• Manti Te'o received his first taste of NFL action Sunday, our Eric D. Williams writes.
• Oklahoma is a contender after a big-time win at Notre Dame, George Schroeder writes in USA Today.
• The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel describes how big of a win Saturday was for the Sooners.
• The Irish offense rests on veteran Tommy Rees' shoulders, Brian Hamilton writes in the Chicago Tribune.
• CollegeSpun's Tyler Moorehead offers his thoughts on the alma mater situation. Kapron Lewis-Moore was, um, not pleased this weekend.

West Virginia fans set 10 fires and flipped one car this weekend. Not bad.

• A physical performance from Oklahoma's offensive line keyed the victory at Notre Dame.
• The Dallas Morning-News ranks Texas Tech No. 3 in its newest "Best in Texas" poll.
• Texas legend Earl Campbell told a Houston TV station on Sunday he believes it's time for Texas to replace Mack Brown.
• Few believed in West Virginia before Saturday's win against Oklahoma State, but that could soon change.
• When Baylor hosts Oklahoma on Nov. 7, a Big 12 championship could be on the line.
• Kansas junior buck linebacker Michael Reynolds admits he's growing up this season.
• A little trash talking during the coin toss of the Tulsa game fired up Iowa State players, though the specifics of what was said are still unknown.
• Oklahoma State's soft nonconference schedule did the Pokes no favors entering their road loss to West Virginia.
• As Kansas State looks to get back on track, its captains are demanding their fellow teammates buy in.
• The late rout of SMU was nice, but TCU is still trying to play a complete game.

Taking stock of Week 5 in the Big 12:

Team of the week: Oklahoma. With their victory over Oklahoma State, the Mountaineers deserved strong consideration here. But by winning in South Bend, the Sooners delivered the Big 12 its best win of the year while vanquishing past demons. OU, which fell to 1-9 all-time against Notre Dame last season, controlled this game wire-to-wire in a 35-21 win. QB Blake Bell operated the Sooners' offense like a veteran in just his second career start. And the OU defense took it to QB Tommy Rees to force three first-half interceptions that allowed the Sooners to pad their lead. OU might have been one of the most overlooked teams during the preseason. After Saturday, the Sooners won’t be overlooked anymore.

Disappointment of the week: Oklahoma State. The Cowboys fell in Morgantown 31-21, despite being 18-point favorites. OSU sputtered all day offensively across the board. J.W. Walsh had a QBR of just 38.1 (scale of 0 to 100) and the Cowboys averaged just 2.8 yards per carry. The defense didn’t fare much better, allowing a West Virginia offense that had been completely inept to rack up 21 first downs. Dating to last year, the Cowboys have now lost three consecutive Big 12 games.

Big (offensive) men on campus: Sterling Shepard and Aaron Wimberly. Both the Oklahoma receiver and Iowa State running back sparked their offenses to big wins on the road. Shepard had five catches for 83 yards, and delivered the nail in the coffin to Notre Dame with a 54-yard touchdown reception to put OU back up by two scores in the fourth quarter.

In a 38-21 win at Tulsa, Wimberly produced Iowa State’s first 100-yard rushing game in more than a year with 137 yards on 19 carries. He added a 31-yard reception as the Cyclones came alive in their first win of the season.

Big (defensive) men on campus: The Oklahoma linebackers, and Sam Carter. Corey Nelson, Frank Shannon and Eric Striker came up with huge plays in the first quarter to set the tone for the OU defense the rest of the way against the Irish. On Notre Dame’s first series, Striker blindsided Rees from behind, popping the ball loose into the arms of Nelson, who returned it 24 yards for a TD. On Notre Dame's next play from scrimmage, Shannon caught a tipped pass and returned the interception 17 yards to the Notre Dame 32. The Sooners scored again four plays later on an 11-yard run by Damien Williams. OU rode the defensive flurry all the way to the win.

Carter, TCU’s junior safety, had a huge day against SMU. Carter had two interceptions, forced a fumble and recorded a sack in the Horned Frogs’ 48-17 victory over the Mustangs. For his efforts, Carter was named the Walter Camp national defensive player of the week. With cornerback Jason Verrett ailing with a shoulder injury, Carter might have to take an even bigger leadership role in the TCU secondary moving forward.

Special-teams player of the week: Jaden Oberkrom. In a complete downpour, TCU’s place-kicker nailed two field goals to help the Horned Frogs pull away from SMU in the second half. As the rain began to fall in droves early in the third quarter, TCU had the ball on the SMU 5-yard line trailing 10-7. Because of the rain, a botched shotgun snap resulted in a loss of 20. But Oberkrom made sure the Frogs came away with points with the 35-yard field goal conversion. Had Oberkrom missed, who knows how the game would have gone for TCU? Instead, buoyed in part by getting points off the drive, the Frogs dominated the rest of the way.

Play of the week: After Josh Stewart took a screen pass 73 yards for the touchdown and Justin Gilbert intercepted Clint Trickett three plays later at midfield, the Cowboys seemed to be on the verge of blowing the game away in the first quarter. Instead, West Virginia cornerback Ishmael Banks read Walsh’s eyes off a rollout, stepped in front of the pass for the pick, then returned it 58 yards for a touchdown. The Cowboys never found their footing again offensively, as West Virginia held them to just two scores the rest of the game.

Stat of the week: Oklahoma State running back Jeremy Smith rushed for just 1 yard on 15 carries at West Virginia. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Smith’s rushing total was the second worst by an FBS running back with that many carries in any game in the past 10 years.

Quote of the week: "No doubt in my mind that we're a national championship-type of team." – OU running back Brennan Clay, after the Notre Dame win

Oklahoma earned national respect and redemption with its 35-21 win over Notre Dame on Saturday. The Fighting Irish provided a test the Sooners had not seen this season, and OU passed with flying colors. Here's a look at five stats that helped spark OU to its best non-conference win this season.

Three turnovers: Make no mistake, the Sooners won the game thanks to their plus-3 turnover margin. Linebacker Corey Nelson immediately turned the momentum in the Sooners’ favor with his 24-yard interception return for touchdown to start the scoring and OU never looked back. The Sooners weren’t great on third down (5-of-14) or in the red zone (1 of 4 touchdown conversions), yet they were able to overcome it because they won the turnover battle. Since 2004, OU has forced three turnovers on 45 occasions, winning 40 of those games.

First down yards per play average: OU averaged 6.76 yards per play on first down. The Sooners did it with terrific balance, averaging 5.89 yards per carry while quarterback Blake Bell was 13 of 16 for 124 yards and one touchdown on first down against the Irish. Heading into the game it was clear first-down success would be important, and the Sooners excelled with 18 carries for 106 yards and 7.8 yards per pass attempt on first-down plays. Their success on first down made second and third down a lot easier.

Blake Bell 12 carries: The Sooners quarterback had the second-most carries on the squad in the win over the Irish. Not all of those runs were planned. Regardless, Bell’s ability to be a threat running the ball -- 12 carries for 59 yards -- made OU’s offense harder to stop.

Notre Dame’s 4.16 yards per pass attempt: The Sooners' secondary was superb against ND. Cornerback Aaron Colvin returned after missing the Tulsa game and played like an All-Big 12 performer, cornerback Zack Sanchez held up well in his first career road game, and nickelback Julian Wilson and safety Quentin Hayes each had solid performances. OU’s secondary has gone from question mark to strength during September.

Sooners’ time of possession in the fourth quarter: OU had the ball for 12:11 in the final quarter. The Sooners emphasized the fourth quarter throughout the week and clearly came out on top in the final 15 minutes, including 16 carries for 52 yards. While not stellar rushing numbers, OU did enough on the ground to keep ND off the field and limit the home team's chance to mount a comeback.

This week's Power Rankings feature a new No. 1, as last week's No. 1 takes a tumble:

1. Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 Big 12, last week 3): The Sooners take over the top spot after delivering the most impressive Big 12 win of the season. Notre Dame is not the same team as last season, but the Irish hadn't lost in South Bend since October of 2011. OU has been a different team since Blake Bell took over at quarterback, and Bell was fabulous Saturday, throwing for two touchdowns without a turnover while churning out first downs with his arm and his legs. The OU defense is clearly better, too, picking off QB Tommy Rees on Notre Dame's first two possessions, with linebacker Corey Nelson returning one for a touchdown. The Sooners were clearly a team overlooked in the preseason, and, after five weeks, are looking like a clear Big 12 favorite along with Baylor.

2. Baylor (3-0, 0-0 Big 12, last week 2): After the off week, the Bears' offense will get its first real challenge this weekend from West Virginia's defense that appears to be the most improved unit in the league. Baylor has been unstoppable so far, but the level of competition is about to undergo an uptick. Can the Bears keep it up? They've shown no signs they can't.

3. Texas Tech (4-0, 1-0 Big 12, last week 4): Despite having the week off, the Red Raiders move up a spot with Oklahoma State's loss. The big question in Lubbock is who will be starting at quarterback for Tech come Saturday against Kansas. Baker Mayfield? Davis Webb? Michael Brewer, who has been progressing well from the back injury? The Red Raiders have been solid defensively, and the skill talent is legit. If Tech can get better play from its quarterback, this team could be a handful -- even for OU and Baylor.

4. West Virginia (3-2, 1-1 Big 12, last week 8): What a difference a week makes. The Mountaineers produced the most impressive in-conference win of the season with a 30-21 victory over preseason favorite Oklahoma State. West Virginia's defense continues to play at a high level (Maryland's 37 points were somewhat of an anomaly because of West Virginia turnovers) and Clint Trickett sparked the offense with his energy and leadership. West Virginia's offense is still pretty limited, but at least it no longer looks completely inept with Trickett at quarterback. The Mountaineers can't score with Baylor this weekend, but maybe they can slow the Bears down? Nobody thought West Virginia could slow Oklahoma or Oklahoma State, either, though Baylor's offense is at another level. We'll see.

5. Texas (2-2, 1-0 Big 12, last week 5): The Longhorns have a couple of interesting games looming. Thursday, Texas travels to Iowa State, which looked much better offensively in a 38-21 win at Tulsa this past Thursday. Then, Texas gets surging Oklahoma in Dallas. This figures to be the defining two-game stretch of the season for the Longhorns. Win the next two, and the season -- as well as Mack Brown's status in Austin -- looks totally different than it did two weeks ago. The off week could not have come at a better time for the Longhorns, giving acting defensive coordinator Greg Robinson another week to acclimate to his defense and quarterback David Ash another week to recover from the head injury that knocked him out of the Ole Miss and Kansas State games.

6. TCU (2-2, 0-1 Big 12, last week 6): Did TCU's offense finally uncover an identity during a rainy fourth quarter against SMU? The Horned Frogs poured on 31 points in the final quarter and did it with some new faces, as Ty Slanina, Ja'Juan Story and Cameron Echols-Luper all factored into the scoring onslaught in the first real action of their TCU careers. The Horned Frogs can really turn their season around with a win in Norman this weekend. That won't be easy, though, if All-American cornerback Jason Verrett (shoulder) and defensive end Devonte Fields (foot) can't play.

7. Oklahoma State (3-1, 0-1 Big 12, last week 1): The Cowboys plummet six spots after an uninspiring performance in Morgantown. It was just one loss, but it was a loss that exposed weaknesses across the board. For the first time in seemingly forever, Oklahoma State's kicking game is awful. The Cowboys' secondary gave up 320 yards to a West Virginia passing attack that previously had been completely futile. And on the other side of the ball, when the Mountaineers dared QB J.W. Walsh to beat them deep, he couldn't do it. That allowed West Virginia to stuff the Cowboys' running game, which also doesn't appear to have that bell-cow running back Oklahoma State has been accustomed to featuring. The Cowboys are better than they looked at West Virginia -- but how much better?

8. Kansas State (2-2, 0-1 Big 12, last week 7): Bill Snyder maintains the Wildcats will stick with the two-quarterback system, which has yielded mixed results. K-State has moved the ball better when Daniel Sams has been in at quarterback. But when he's in, the Wildcats are virtually no threat to pass. Sams has 29 rushes and only four passing attempts. Is Sams really that poor of a passer? Maybe it's time for K-State to find out.

9. Iowa State (1-2, 0-0 Big 12, last week 10): It's hard to believe a center could make that much of a difference. But the return of Tom Farniok sure seemed to do wonders for Iowa State's offense, which finally got going in a 38-21 win at Tulsa. The Cyclones also finally involved running back Aaron Wimberly, who ignited the running game with Iowa State's first 100-yard performance in more than a year. With former blue-chip junior-college transfer E.J. Bibbs emerging now at tight end, QB Sam Richardson no longer appears to be on his own. Jack Trice will be rocking Thursday night for the Longhorns, as Iowa State has a chance to land a signature win to build off of for the rest of the season.

10. Kansas (2-1, 0-0 Big 12, last week 9): The Jayhawks have a winning record but have been mostly unimpressive. Can they turn around the offense against Texas Tech? That will hinge almost entirely on quarterback Jake Heaps, who has talent but has been unable to find any rhythm so far with a collection of unproven wideouts. If the Jayhawks can be competitive this weekend, it will be a good sign they are moving in the right direction. If they get blasted, it could be a long season, especially with Iowa State and West Virginia seemingly having found their stride.