Posted on 09/16/2009 11:10:35 PM PDT by GOP_Raider
Back before my job contained some actual responsibility, there was the perpetual temptation (and I did give into it much of the time) to watch videos on YouTube. While there's nothing more annoying in life than some yay-hoo droning on about the dreaded neocons scrambling their brains, there are those special occasions where you will find something that is worth your time and effort. Anymore, the internet has become a classic sports network of its own, with people finding film of games from days gone by and even more recent games getting posted just after they occur.
In this the third week of the college football season, we are in full swing. we've already seen upsets, dominating victories, and a few new stars emerge. This week in the live thread, given what I wrote in my opening paragraph, I'll hyperlink to a select video of the teams I feature this week---well, if I can find one. We have a full slate of games this weekend, so let's get to them.
Georgia Tech vs. Miami (Tonight, 7:30 pm) Maybe I should stop making fun of the ACC. Because after last Thursday's narrow victory by the Jackets against Clemson and a narrow victory of Miami's in Tallahassee on Labor Day, we could have if nothing else a competitive race in the Coastal Division. This beings a brutal five game stretch for Georiga Tech, culminating in a visit by Virginia Tech to Bobby Dodd Stadium in about five weeks from now. Perhaps the operative question for the time being is if Miami is back to being the Hurricanes we've all come to know and love? The Canes do have a very good QB at their disposal in Jacory Harris, and even though they're still a relatively young team, (and the UM pass defense probably didn't please a lot of folks in Miami-Dade County) I suppose we'll have a better answer on how both of these teams by about 10:30 pm Eastern tonight?
Boise State vs. Fresno State (Friday, 9:00 pm) The Bulldogs have had a mantra for the lion's share of the Pat Hill era: we'll play anyone, anytime, anywhere, as evidenced by the fact that FSU played and nearly beat Wisconsin in Madison last week. As nice as that is for a non-BCS school and all, much of the WAC still leaves the Bulldogs snake bitten at times. No opponent has done this more often to the Dogs than Boise State has. In 2001, the Bulldogs were 6-0 and ranked in the top 10. They were looking to be the first non-BCS school to make it to a BCS game (which would be done three years later and I don't have to tell you which school did that). A 35-30 loss at home crushed the dreams of all in the San Joaquin Valley. The loss was to?...none other than Boise State. In fact, since both teams have been in the WAC, the Bulldogs have beaten Boise State exactly one time. (2005). Unfortunately for the folks in "the Valley", BSU is showing no signs of slowing down after a dominant performance on both sides of the ball last week against Miami (OH).
Temple vs. Penn State (High Noon) By sheer accident, I have neglected to mention the Nittany Lions in the first two weeks of action. But say you're Penn State and you're sitting in the Top 5 and things have to be looking pretty good. Your main competition in the Big 10, Ohio State, loses in heartbreaking fashion to USC and all of the sudden any national title hopes for the conference ride squarely on the shoulders of the folks in Happy Valley. This is by no means meant to cast any aspersions on the Owls, but let's discuss the underrated body of work so far that is Lions QB Darryl Clark. Last week against Syracuse, Clark had a solid day, going 20 for 31 for 240 yards and 3 scores. But one thing that I will ask our fans of the Big 10 is, do you think Clark and Terrelle Pryor are rather similar kinds of QBs?
Cal vs. Minnesota (High Noon) There's something I've noticed with the Gopher passing attack, particulary in their week 1 overtime thriller against Syracuse. QB Adam Weber almost seems as though he doesn't want to throw the ball to anyone else except star wideout Eric Decker. Do the Gophers not have any other weapons on offense? Anyway, after LB Nate Triplett ran an Air Force fumble back for a touchdown to break a 10-10 tie, the Gohpers were able to christen the brand new TCF Bank Stadium on a positive note. They'll face a Cal squad that for three quarters racked up 52 points against Eastern Washington. Of the 342 yards Cal gained on the ground last week, 144 of those yards were credited to Cal's star RB Jahvid Best. (and I'll still consider Best the, um, best running back in the country until I get a good argument for someone else.)
Ohio State vs. Toledo (High Noon) Supposedly, this was slated to be a home game for Toledo, but cooler heads prevailed and the game will be played at the Browns Stadium in Cleveland. Now I assume is the point in the season where I can remind the Buckeye faithful of a few things: the Big 10 title is still within reach, and they probably shouldn't lose a game again until their big showdown in Happy Valley against Penn State in November. Terrelle Pryor didn't have a terrible game and that final USC scoring drive will sting for a while. But maybe one does have to wonder if the Bucks will ever live down the reputation that they've garnered in recent years that they get exposed once they step outside of Big 10 play?
Duke vs. Kansas (High Noon) Last week, I pondered to one and all how it is that the Jayhawks are enumerated in the Top 25. Often, it's imperative to beat the teams you're supposed to and KU certainly has a lot of opponents they should beat this year. Against UTEP in El Paso last Saturday, QB Todd Reesing threw for a pedestrian (at least by recent Jayhawk standards) 260 yards and a touchdown, but that along with a 100 yard day from RB Jake Sharp, was more than enough to beat the Miners. They'll get a Duke squad that has to wonder what the hell it's doing even fielding a football program at this stage. The last time the Blue Devils won more games than they lost was back in 1994, when they went 8-4 and even went to a bowl game. Apparently, this is one of those once in a lifetime events, like Halley's Comet orbiting earth or the Giants finally winning the World Series (hey, don't laugh, it could still happen before I die!)
East Carolina vs. North Carolina (High Noon) Among the contending teams right now in the ACC, we have the North Carolina Tar Heels, coming off a close win against UConn. Of all the ways to decide a football game, one of the last things I would have ever come up with would be a holding call in the endzone for a safety to break a 10-10 tie in the 4th. While UNC didn't really play it's best game by any stretch, it was enough and there's certainly no rest for the boys in Carolina blue, as the Pirates come to Chapel Hill. Perhaps you've heard a lot about the Pirates defensive front four, and while that's nice and all, their offense floundered at points during their loss last week to West Virginia. Remember last season when ECU QB Patrick Pinkney was for a time the cat's meow among non-BCS QBs? Well, I think it's safe to say the bloom might be off that rose if he and the Pirates don't have some better play on the offensive side of the ball.
Eastern Michigan vs. Michigan (High Noon) Over the years I've posted here on FR, I've had the immense pleasure of finding out about the important news events of the day right here. (Although Buckhead liked one of my jokes about a year ago and that just might have been the highlight of my tenure as a FReeper). So last week while previewing the Wolverines matchup against rival Notre Dame I mentioned the services of freshman QB Tate Forcier the week before. So you can say that you heard about the next star of the Michigan Wolverines right here on FR before you saw UM take down the Irish. Maybe things aren't totally ideal for the Maize and Blue--maybe you'd prefer some better play from the defensive backfield--but with a game against an Eastern Michigan squad that lost a heartbreaker to Northwestern, there's some time to get things ironed out before the big showdown in East Lansing in two weeks.
Louisville vs. Kentucky (High Noon) Here is the annual Battle of the Bluegrass, where the Cardinals and Wildcats battle for supremacy in the Commonwealth of Kentucky (it's not the State of Kentucky). Short of a full fledged reenactment of the Battle of Perryville, it might not get anymore hostile than this in the Commonwealth. The Wildcats have a 12-9 all time edge in the series, as neither team played each other for 70 years. But while UK lit up Miami of Ohio in Week 1, the Cardinals had a rather pedestrian outing against Indiana State last week. UL head coach Steve Kragthorpe could really use a signature win at this point, as his job might depend on it.
(for Palmetto) Boston College vs. Clemson (High Noon) The Tigers are still a talented team. Then again, I never thought that was the issue with this team. Clemson notched 27 unanswered points after falling into a big deficit early on against Georgia Tech one week ago today. But the performances by C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford weren't enough in the end. This week, the Tigers welcome the Eagles in to Death Valley and while I do think BC will be better than people are giving them credit for (some professional pundits thought at the outset that the Eagles would be the bottom feeder in the ACC, apparently they forgot that Duke still had a football program), this is as good of a tune-up as any before a nationally ranked TCU squad comes into Clemson.
(for kevkrom) Northern Illinois vs. Purdue (High Noon) In a classic "we outgained 'em but still lost" game in Eugene last week, the Boilermakers may have proved that even though the numbers looked impressive, the only true stat in the game of football that matters is the final score--even though I would still like to throw in turnover margin as a solid #2. One player for Purdue you folks in the Big 10 might want to keep your eye out for is RB Ralph Bolden. Last week in Autzen Stadium, Bolden ran for 123 yards and two scores, one of which was a 22 yard scamper. The week before against Toledo, Bolden ran for nearly double that amount in the track meet that was the Boilers win against Toledo. They'll get a Northern Illinois team that will play on the road in the Big 10 for the 2nd time in three weeks, after staging a gutsy 4th quarter comeback that fell short in week 1 against Wisconsin.
North Texas vs. Alabama (12:20 pm) In this matchup, we once again know the top 5 ranked Crimson Tide quite well, and some of you more intimately than others. What we don't know much about is their opponent. From Denton, Texas, please welcome the North Texas Mean Green! *applause* For the majority of their time in the wonderful world of college athletics, UNT was known as (and still uses as a mascot) the Eagles, which I'm sure goes over really well in Dallas Cowboys country. Nowadays, the UNT athletes like to be known as the Mean Green. Perhaps the most obvious reason for this is the fact that the most famous athletic alumnus of the school is former Pittsburgh Steelers great Mean Joe Greene. Still, that probably works a little better than my idea of having Texas A&M become the Fighting Shane Lechler's.
Tennessee vs. Florida (3:30 pm) While watching the very end of the Vols and their performance last week against UCLA, (thanks again to eyedigress for keeping an eye on that one for me last Saturday) I do have to wonder something: do coaching staffs really look ahead to a game the next week? Two weeks from now? In my job, I need to look ahead, and for a whole host of reasons. But in their job, by and large, looking ahead like I do in this thread every week has to be an obvious disservice to all involved. Oh, sure, Johnathan Crompton threw for a grand total of 93 yards and 3 INTs in cash and prizes and he might want to consider either holding a clipboard or transferring to South Carolina State, but if you're Lane Kiffin and given what we know about his face first dive into the deep end of the SEC, the thought had to cross your mind at some point "how the hell am I going to beat Florida?" So I'll ask you: how can it be done? Will it take someone else to emerge for the Vols at QB? How about a much better offensive performance in general from Tennessee?
USC vs. Washington (3:30 pm) So now that the most strenuous non-conference game for the Trojans is out of the way, is this the point where all of those professional pundits out there start to openly discuss the Men of Troy's possibility of winning a national championship? I know, they still have to go to Oregon and Cal, and there's always a team like Stanford lurking behind the palm trees, but I maintain a bit of jealousy toward my professional counterparts. Anyway, the Huskies can now finally Bark for Sark after a victory for the first time since the previous Presidency. Even though the Huskies do have some issues, one never can tell when the magical home field advantage that was (and for the most part is) Husky Stadium will reemerge.
(That reminds me, if you do get the opportunity to watch a game from Husky Stadium on television, I want you to notice something. Watch the main camera--often called the "up cam" in showbiz--before the ball is snapped and watch how the camera starts shaking, particularly when the Dawgs are on defense. Some people in this part of the country seem to believe that it's due to the fact that the place may not be as structurally sound as it should be, but at any rate, that should give you a pretty good idea of the kind of atmosphere one should expect there).
Tulsa vs. Oklahoma (3:30 pm) When I previewed the Golden Hurricane's game against New Mexico last week, I said that Tulsa probably won't score points in bunches this year unlike last year. Well, Tulsa made me look about as bright as Joe Biden asking the handicapped to walk after racking up over 400 yards of total offense in a 44-10 victory in Albuquerque. If you're stting there wondering if this can still end up in a "last team with the ball wins" kind of scenario, you would probably be forgiven for thinking so. Thing is though, the Sooner defense is still fairly solid as a whole, so the Golden Hurricane may face an uphill climb after all. Maybe they could get someone to find all of those captivating speeches FDR gave on television as a motivational tool?
Nebraska vs. Virginia Tech (3:30 pm) Say you're at work today and you wonder aloud at your desk "I wonder who is the team to beat in the Big XII North this year?" Before you start to slow down productivity on your jobsite, let's go through them. Could it be Kansas with Todd Reesing and Co.? How about Missouri? Could Colorado with their---oh wait, forget I mentioned that one. So that leaves us with the Huskers. After two very convincing wins to start off the season, Big Red hits Blacksburg, where the Blackshirts look to limit the Hokies to fewer than 600 yards, which was the total offensive output VT had last week against Marshall. This also marks the return trip for Nebraska, after the Hokies came into Lincoln last year and came out with the victory 35-30.
UTAH vs. Oregon (3:30 pm) Current chatter on the blogs and message boards of late seems to center around a seemingly impossible scenario: on November 28, we could see both UTAH and byU at 11-0 playing for the Mountain West title and possibly a whole lot more. But it's complete pie in the sky wishful thinking. Why you ask? Well, if you got a chance to watch the Utes travel to the South Bay to take on San Jose State you would have noticed a few things about this year's version of the Utes: 1) there's still some learning curve when you have a new QB, which this team has in Terrance Cain, 2) ordinarily with this defense, there's a very good pass rush and thus far that hasn't really materialized, 3) the kicking game has all but vaporized (and if you mention the names Ryan Kaneishiro or Golden Whetman to a Ute fan, you better be prepared to drop the gloves and take your 5 minute major). This is a very significant games for both teams, especially after the Ducks hit their stride offensively after getting shut down in week 1 against Boise State. A win by either team here could alter the course of the season and likely for the better.
Michigan State vs. Notre Dame (3:30 pm) This is the battle for the Megaphone Trophy, not to be confused with the Al Sharpton Golden Bullhorn awarded annually to the winner of the annual ACORN/AFL-CIO Flag Football game. Last week the Spartans were the unsuspecting victims of a perfectly executed onside kick and eventual last second field goal and victory for Central Michigan. (The latter would have been no good if it hadn't been for an MSU offsides penalty on the first attempt). Despite a monumental effort by Jimmy Clausen and Co. the Irish last week in the Big House it wasn't quite enough. If you're a wearer of the golden dome, the first thought that comes to mind must be "hey, if Michigan State's corners struggled this bad against Central Michigan, then this could be another big day!" Cheer, Cheer for Ol' Notre D---, sorry, I won't sing ever again.
(for Biggirl and Man50D) UConn vs. Baylor (5:00 pm) If I lived in Waco, Texas, I would probably be excited about Baylor Bears football. (and if you replied to this by saying "somebody get this kid a girlfriend" that will likely make you about one out of several dozen to make that observation). The Bears should be well prepared after notching a tough win against Wake Forest in Week 1 and throwing it down against The Bye in week 2. The Huskies, on the other hand, would like to have last week's game back against North Carolina. They'd also like to have QB Zach Fraser back for this road contest, but instead, the part of Zach Fraser will be played by Cody Endres, making his third career start at the QB spot.
Cincinnati vs. Oregon State (6:45 pm) Did you ever stop and decide to rebuke my argument from week 1 where I said "the Bearcats are going to struggle on defense" by saying "yeah, so?" Keeping in mind the Bearcats monumental destruction of both Rutgers and SE Missouri State, the Beavers did need a late field goal to hold off UNLV last week in Las Vegas. Oregon State RB Jacquizz Rodgers had another remarkable game, racking up 231 of all purpose yards and has become the player the Beavs count on offensively (if he wasn't the guy already). Both the Bearcats and Beavers have high powered offenses to be sure, but it's not a simple task to go into Corvallis and come out with a victory---as certain Pac 10 opponents are aware.
(for Bat_Chemist) Florida State vs. byU (7:00 pm) When I write these threads, it's not an easy task for me not to emote concerning certain things. Given who the Noles take on this week, I simply must ask...what the hell was that?!?!?! Christian Ponder had a very nice game, true (324 yards in the air). But trailing Jacksonville State going well into the 4th quarter should give everyone in Seminole country cause for alarm. I say this especially considering who this week's opponent is. I also say this given my own bias here, but it's really irritating to already hear the boasting from Cougartown about them possibly playing for the national championship in January.
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. LSU (7:00 pm) A lot of us may scratch our heads at times wondering why it is that so many schools in the SEC schedule teams like the Bayou Bengals have against the Ragin' Cajuns. The traditional line of reasoning is that the conference slate is such a juggernaut that a team needs to have a breather or two in the nonconference schedule. In a lukewarm defense of the schools of the SEC, I do think it's probably a good idea to schedule at least one "gimme" so your team isn't too battered going into conference play. Anyway, let's get to know the Ragin' Cajuns of The University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Hailing from Lafayette, Louisiana, the Ragin' Cajuns have the distinction of going into Manhattan, Kansas and getting a big win against Kansas State. It's primary color is vermillion, which where I come from is called "red". ULL offers a Ph. D. in Francophone studies, which I believe is the only doctoral program where one can not bathe on a consistent basis and it would be completely understandable.
Texas State vs. TCU (7:00 pm) Much to my disappointment, Texas State will not have Scott Bakula or Sinbad starting for them this weekend--or the legendary Kathy Ireland making an appearance, and if you know the film I'm referring to, go to the fridge and get yourself an ice cold beer. But don't drink the Fat Tire Amber Ale, those are mine. As Robert Frost might have put it, we have miles to go before we sleep in the non-BCS and Mountain West races this year, and the Horned Frogs were quick to remind all of us of this last week against Virginia. After shaking out the cobwebs early against the Cavs, the Frogs took control. The defense shined for TCU last week, with all-world DE Jerry Hughes getting 11 tackles and a sack. This game will be the 2nd of 12 straight weeks of football for the Frogs, as they were off in week 1 and now is as good of a time as any to get the offensive kinks worked out.
Rice vs. Oklahoma State (7:00 pm) How does one suspect the Cowboys recover from the offensive ambush that was the Houston Cougars? Does the screeching from the remainder of Big XII country simply say what Dennis Green said when he screamed "We are who we thought they were?" Regardless of what Case Keenum and the blistering UH attack did in Stillwater last week, the fact still remains that the Pokes are quite formidable. The Big XII South and ultimately the Big XII itself are currently within the Cowboy grasp--remember the Longhorns have to go to Stillwater this year. So what better opponent for OSU this week than the Rice Owls, who had the distinct pleasure of giving up 8 scores through the air in a old fashioned west Texas beatdown courtesy of Texas Tech.
Southeastern Louisiana vs. Ole Miss (7:30 pm) We may assume here that for the Rebels, this is a "gimme" in a LSU/Louisiana-Lafayette kind of way. However, this one isn't without some concern, particularly the left ankle of Ole Miss DE Greg Hardy, who injured it in week one against Memphis. The thing is, if you're an Ole Miss Rebel, would you rather have Hardy not playing against Southeastern Louisiana tonight, or against South Carolina in Columbia next week? Regardless, they will face SE Louisiana, which should give us pause to remind us that...wow, there are a ton of institutions of higher learning in the Great State of Louisiana, aren't there?
(for sean327) Air Force vs. New Mexico (7:30 pm) Like I said above concerning Tulsa, apparently I was wrong about the Golden Hurricane offense and for that I apologize. But the more operative question for the Lobos at this stage of the year is, "where's the offense?" The Lobos haven't scored a TD on offense in 14 quarters dating back to last season and there hasn't been a whole lot of bright spots on the offensive side of the ball since then. Mountain West Conference play begins for the Lobos as Air Force comes into University Stadium coming off a tough loss to Minnesota after the Falcons had the lead against the Gophers going into the 4th quarter.
Georgia vs. Arkansas (7:45 pm) Coming off a bye, the good people of Fayetteville will call the hogs once more against a Georgia squad that I'm not sure what to make of right now. After the offense gets shut down two weeks ago against Oklahoma State, the Dawgs come alive as a WAC game broke out between the hedges in the big win against South Carolina (last week I also wrote that Michigan/Notre Dame might be the best game of the day. I would have taken an argument for this one being a more entertaining one). So which Georgia team--and maybe which Joe Cox--shows up this week in Fayetteville? If Arkansas's week one game against Missouri State is any indication, and if last week's UGA shows up this week, we could see another game you might want to TiVo.
And now it's time for the Game of the Week!
(for our FR TTU Contingent) Texas Tech vs. Texas (8:00 pm) Last year, we saw an anticipated game of the year that lived up to just about every expectation. Many even credit the last second catch by Michael Crabtree to give the Red Raiders the victory in Lubbock for keeping the Longhorns out of the national championship game. Based on what we've seen so far from both teams, it's somewhat tough to tell how this one will go. Tech has had few if any problems against North Dakota and Rice, and UT pulled away from Wyoming in the second half last week in Laramie. But with the big spotlight now squarely on the Longhorns in the Big XII, is this the week where we see Colt McCoy start to put together a Heisman resume of his own? Or is this the night where we see Taylor Potts emerge as the next gunslinger in the Mike Leach offensive machine?
Enjoy your game this weekend no matter where it happens to be.
See, I would assume that rain in Seattle could help the Huskies by slowing down the SC offense a little, but I could be totally wrong on that.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm a dawg fan, I'm just trying to understand here.
So, according to your system, teams have zero incentive to schedule real opponents like Va tech instead of NW La tech for the first game.
The Lobos at this point are not built to run the Spread, and it shows. Porterie is not a Spread Offense QB either.
I don’t think he has any confidence comming off last year’s knee injury. He dances too much in the pocket, and doesn’t like to run even when he has to. At this point there is no real answer at QB for the Lobos, but I think Brad Gruner could do a better job than Porterie. Hey as long as they beat NMSU the season won’t be a total wash.
Tech pulled off a huge win last week, but this is going to be a very difficult 5 game stretch for them coming up. The good thing about it is that I don’t think there’s really a clear-cut favorite in the conference right now. The closest one might be Virginia Tech, but I think there are a few teams in their own division that can give them a game.
Dawg fan here. I don't hate either. IMO..Urban is far more of a better coach and understands the importance of defense.
I was joking!
I hope it is raining salmon.
Hey Raider....I believe the Ohio State-Toledo game is a 4PM game on espn360. I know it may have been originally scheduled for noon but they changed it to 4PM. Probably so alumni can party in the flats in cleveland and go back there and party some more after the game. That of course presumes the flats still exist in cleveland like they did in the 80’s when I went there.
You are only allowed to count one victory over a FCS team if you schedule more than 1, even if your record reflects it.
Hook 'em Horns!!
Wow, thanks for featuring my Baylor Bears this week! And thanks for the youtube link!!! Baylor Beats No. 3 USC at USC—1985. Righteous!
This weeks games seem like a snoozer. A good week to catch up on ones honey-do list. The last two weekends we’ve had battles between 2 top 10 teams. This week no such luck.
Well if tonight’s win for Miami is any indication, they’re well on their way back to, at the very least, winning conference titles again. May not be as easy as it was in their days in the Big East, but the Canes sure shut down Tech’s run game.
After last night’s game, I think you have to make Miami the conference favorite. That was a throttling.... We’ll see how the ‘Canes fare against Va Tech next week.
The thing about the run D that is very encouraging is that they made the necessary adjustments after the first drive. They have lacked effective coaching ever since lawrence coker took over, and have had a revolving door of assistants the last couple of years.
It looks like they now have a competent OC and DC, and that is going to make a world of difference, since they have gotten back to recruiting some major talent (something coker failed to do).
If they can go 3-1 after this very tough opening 4 games, they’ll be in good shape. Jacory Harris will be tested by the extremely fine DC at vaTech (cant think of his name, it’s early- Bud something?)
I think Bud Foster is the name you were thinking of. But anyway, I was reading somewhere this morning that someone did an interview with Jimmy Johnson and they asked him about what he’d do to stop these spread offenses that are just about everywhere in the game right now. His answer was to simply have better players.
While the Canes may not have better players to go into Blacksburg to beat Va Tech, I do think that this is not the same Miami team that has been playing postseason games in December instead of January. It would be tough to argue with Rummyfan’s assessment that UM might very well be the favorites if they beat the Hokies, as I don’t think they would lose again unless Oklahoma gets their act together and beats them.
You are quite welcome Blair. That was actually a fun video to watch. Doing all the research for this thread this week was very eye opening to say the least.
Every time I think “boy, I’m going to have an easy week on this thread” I have to keep tabs on an upset bid or two, so I can never take a week off (unless I’m in SLC for a Ute game, that’s a little different). :)
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/stewart_mandel/09/17/week-3/index.html?eref=sihpT1
SI picks Huskies to beat USC! Swwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeet.
Mandel makes a pretty good point. SC’s offense is still a work in progress and Barkley won’t play. Sarkisian as a former employee of Carroll and USC also might play a role, IMO.
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