MAC Football > 2007 MAC Football Picks > Week #4 Picks
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Nick's 2007 MAC Football Picks - Week #4 Picks
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Week #4 MAC Football Notes
PASSING OF THE BULLS: Although sporting a 1-2 overall record, Buffalo is 1-0 in the MAC East and lodged in first place in the division. The Bulls two losses are to ranked teams (No. 16 Rutgers and No. 12 Penn State) both on the road. UB’s offense has clicked under the passing arm of junior Drew Willy, who is in his third year as a starter. Willy has completed a MAC-leading 72.0 percent (67-of-93) of his pass attempts and directed UB to 395 yards of total offense last week against the Nittany Lions. UB’s total offense was more than the combined yardage of PSU’s first two opponents (FIU and Notre Dame). UB plays its first home game of 2007 Saturday against Baylor from the Big 12.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Eight MAC teams will be at home Saturday after just three league schools were home last week (Sept. 15) and four home MAC contests played the week prior (Sept. 8).
BIG MAC: It will be a Big 12 vs. MAC match up this week as four games involve schools from the two leagues. Buffalo hosts Baylor, Toledo welcomes Iowa State, Ball State is at Nebraska and Miami is at Colorado.
LAST WEEK (Sept. 15) - Eastern Michigan snapped a seven-game losing streak dating back to last year with a 21-19 West Division victory over Northern Illinois ... the Huskies dropped their third straight home game in 2007 ... Ball State outlasted Navy in overtime 34-31 and Kent State won its home opener, 28-7, over Delaware State ... BSU improved to 4-2 all-time in overtime games.
THIS WEEK (Sept. 22) - Two East Division games highlight the schedule with Temple visiting Bowling Green in the Falcons home opener and Kent State playing at rival Akron ... three other MAC teams are at home with Ohio hosting Wyoming from the Mountain West Conference, Toledo welcoming Iowa State of the Big 12, and Eastern Michigan hosting Howard from the MEAC. All other MAC teams are on the road including Ball State at Top 25 ranked Nebraska and Miami at Big 12 member Colorado.
NEXT WEEK (Sept. 29) - Four conference games are on slate with Northern Illinois at defending league champ Central Michigan; East Division leader Buffalo at Ball State; Kent State at defending East Division title holder Ohio; and Western Michigan opening up its league play with a game at Toledo ... Miami hosts Big East member Syracuse.
Ball State @ Nebraska
Ball State (2-1, 1-0 MAC West, 1-1 MAC Overall) at Nebraska (2-1, 0-0 Big 12 North) - 11:30 a.m. (CT)
SITE: Memorial Stadium (81,067/FieldTurf) - Lincoln, Neb.
TELEVISION: None.
SERIES RECORD: First meeting.
COACHES: BSU-Brady Hoke (17-32, fifth season); Nebraska-Bill Callahan (23-16, fourth season).
Ball State @ Nebraska - GAME NOTES: Ball State defeated Navy last week, 34-31 in overtime, for its third consecutive road win dating back to last season ... the highly ranked Huskers dropped a 49-21 decision at home to No. 1 ranked USC ... this marks the Cardinals third consecutive road game (Eastern Michigan , Navy) ... last week’s 539 yards of total offense at Navy is the seventh highest total in BSU history ... the Cardinals also blocked two field goal attempts by Navy as B.J. Hill and Brandon Murphy were credited with those defensive plays ... sophomore MiQuale Lewis rushed for his first career game of 100-plus yards (167) last week ... BSU will be challenged by the passing of Sam Keller (840 yards, 4 TDs) and running of Marlon Lucky (356 yards, 4 TDs) ... BSU leads the MAC in scoring offense (28.3 ppg), total offense (445.3 ypg) and scoring defense (20.3 ppg allowed) ... BSU QB Nate Davis has thrown one interception in 107 attempts this season and that pick came last week at Navy.
Nick’s Pick: Nebraska 42 – Ball State 33
Line: Nebraska by 22
Comment: Ball State needs to play more road games. Under Hoke, the ‘Cards have played very well on the road and very poorly at home. After a huge program and conference win last week at Navy, BSU travels to Nebraska and takes with them the #1 offense in this league and the MAC’s best QB. Nebraska was shell-shocked at home against top-ranked USC and may not realize the offensive arsenal that will be landing in Lincoln. While Ball State is no USC, they are no cream puff either. Just like last year’s near win at Michigan, look for ‘Brady’s Bunch’ to press the Cornhuskers until the end and make this a very interesting contest.
> View the VanDelay Sports selection of Ball State merchandise & apparel.
Temple @ Bowling Green
Temple (0-3, 0-1 MAC East, 0-1 MAC overall) at Bowling Green (1-1, 0-0 MAC East,
0-0 MAC Overall) - Noon
SITE: Doyt Perry Stadium (24,000/FieldTurf) - Bowling Green, Ohio
TELEVISION: ESPN Plus/ESPN Game Plan (Michael Reghi, Doug Chapman)
SERIES RECORD: BGSU leads 6-3 ... Temple won the last meeting, 28-14, last year in Philadelphia
... BG won 70-7 in 2005 at Perry Stadium.
COACHES: TU-Al Golden (1-14, second season); BGSU-Gregg Brandon (31-20, fifth season).
Temple @ BGSU - GAME NOTES: Temple dropped a 22-17 decision at Connecticut last week while BG was idle and last played Sept. 8 in a 28-17 loss at Michigan State ... the Owls lone win last season was a 28-14 win at home against the Falcons ... this is the Falcons home opener while the Owls will be playing their second consecutive road game ... the Falcons are 4-0 in home openers under Brandon ... BG features the league’s leader in passing yards per game with Tyler Sheehan (341.5 ypg) ... Temple ’s QB Adam DiMichelle has complete 61.4 percent (43-of-70) of his pass attempts, which is his exact same percentage from a year ago ... although Temple is averaging just 75.7 ypg rushing, signs off a breakout were evident last week by sophomore Jason Harper’s career-high of 114 yards on 22 carries at UConn ... Temple true freshman LB Amara Kamara is tied for first in the MAC with three fumble recoveries.
Nick’s Pick: BGSU 35 – Temple 20
Line: BG by 20
Comment: BGSU may not have wanted a bye week so early considering how well they were playing against two Big Ten teams on the road. Tyler Sheen has been a pleasant surprise at QB and Gregg Brandon is the early season choice for ‘coach of the year’ honors. Temple is much-improved and it showed at UConn last weekend where a difficult call at the end of the game went against the Owls and possibly cost them the game. BG has revenge on their minds after Temple beat them last year but this contest will certainly not be the 70-7 Falcon blowouts of a few years ago. Expect a tight game right into the 4th quarter.
Kent State @ Akron
Kent State (2-1, 0-0 MAC East, 0-0 MAC Overall) at Akron (1-2, 0-0 MAC East, 0-0
MAC Overall) - Noon
SITE: Rubber Bowl (31,000/AstroPlay) - Akron, Ohio
TELEVISION: ESPN Plus/ESPN Game Plan (Jim Barbar, Bob Chmiel)
SERIES RECORD: Akron leads 27-20-2 ... the rivals have split the last four meetings with KSU
capturing last year’s contest 37-15 ... since Akron joined the MAC in 1992, the Zips hold a 10-5
series advantage ... the schools will be competing for the Wagon Wheel trophy.
COACHES: KSU-Doug Martin (14-23, fourth season); UA-J.D. Brookhart (19-20, fourth season).
Kent State @ Akron - GAME NOTES: Kent State’s 28-7 win over Delaware State last week pushed the Golden Flashes to a 2-1 start for the first time since 2003 ... KSU has not been 3-1 since 1987 ... the Zips dropped their second consecutive Big Ten road loss last week at Indiana, 41-24, although they trailed just 27-24 with seven minutes remaining ... KSU’s Eugene Jarvis leads the MAC in rushing (380 yards) and QB Julian Edelman has added 196 rushing yards to the attack ... last week Jarvis rushed for 136 yards, his third consecutive game with 100-plus yards ... the Zips have used both Chris Jacquemain and Carlton Jackson at QB ,,, at IU, Jackson came off the bench to pass for 200 yards and two scores and rush for another 71 yards and a third TD, and that includes -39 yards on four sacks ... defensively, UA’s Andre Jones had an end zone interception at IU ... this will be this Zips first game in 2007 at the Rubber Bowl as their opener vs. Army was held at Browns Stadium.
Nick’s Pick: Kent State 34 – Akron 28
Line: KSU by 3
Comment: Quite possibly the best MAC game of the weekend. Two long-time rivals who are just a few miles from one another, who dislike one another and who both have rebuilt their football programs and are now playing good football. Yes, this is going to be a terrific contest that on paper should be a defensive slugfest. Considering that each team has big-play abilities, I’m going against traditional wisdom of a low scoring game and seeing a shootout. Kent has had better QB play to date so that gives the Golden Flashes the upper hand. Enjoy this game people!
Miami @ Colorado
Miami (1-2, 0-0 MAC East, 1-0 MAC Overall at Colorado (1-2, 0-0 Big 12 North) - 1:30 p.m. (MT)
SITE: Folsom Field (53,720/Natural Grass) - Boulder, Colo.
TELEVISION: None
SERIES RECORD: First Meeting.
COACHES: Miami-Shane Montgomery (10-16, third season); UC-Dan Hawkins (3-12, second
season at school; 56-23, seventh season overall).
GAME NOTES: The RedHawks have dropped back-to-back games ( Minnesota, Cincinnati) since a season-opening win at Ball State ... the Buffaloes dropped a 16-6 home game to Florida State last week ... UC QB Cody Hawkins is the son of head coach Dan Hawkins ... the younger Hawkins has passed for 669 yards and four TDs in three games as a redshirt freshman ... Miami sophomore Daniel Raudabaugh came off the bench for the second week in a row to complete 24-of-45 pass attempts for 240 yards and a TD, the first TD allowed by the UC Bearcats this season ... in the last two games, Raudabaugh is 37-of-69 (53.6 percent) for 467 yards and three TDs ... with injuries to Brandon Murphy and Andre Bratton, sophomore Austin Sykes has emerged as the No. 1 back ... last week in 13 attempts Sykes gained 76 yards, an average of 5.6 ypc ... Miami’s defense features the top two leaders in tackles in the league with LB Caleb Bostic with 37 stops and LB Clayton Mullins
with 35 tackles.
Nick’s Pick: Colorado 27 – Miami 17
Line: Colorado by 13
Comment: Miami has been devastated with injuries at RB and has received inconsistent play at QB. Playing against their third BCS team in as many weeks will take a toll on the RedHawks. The Buffs are nothing special and Miami has the talent to win this game, but after last week’s clunker at home to long-time rival Cincinnati, their confidence may be shaken. Colorado needs to win this game more than Miami does considering their game with Oklahoma is next on the schedule.
> View the VanDelay Sports selection of Miami RedHawks apparel.
Northern Illinois @ Idaho
Northern Illinois (0-3, 0-1 MAC West, 0-1 MAC Overall) at Idaho (1-2, 0-0 WAC) - 2 p.m. (MT)
SITE: Kibbie Dome (16,000/Artificial) - Moscow, Idaho
TELEVISION: None
SERIES RECORD: Tied 2-2 ... this is the first meeting since a 25-24 Idaho win in 1975.
COACHES: NIU-Joe Novak (61-69, 12th season); Idaho-Robb Akey (1-2, first season).
GAME NOTES: This is Idaho’s last non-conference game before eight consecutive WAC games ... Robb Akey is the Vandals third head coach in as many seasons ... the Vandals are coming off a 45-28 loss at Washington State ... the Huskies are winless, dropping three straight home games in 2007 after last week’s 21-19 loss to Eastern Michigan ... NIU’s ground game received a boost from sophomore Justin Anderson, who rushed for a career-high 168 yards on 28 carries and also had six receptions for 45 yards ... Anderson’s 83.0 ypg rushing average ranks fourth in the MAC ... NIU plays its next three games on the road and five of its next six on the road ... the Huskies haven’t started a season with four straight losses since 1999 ... NIU’s last non-conference road win in the regular season was at Alabama in 2003 ... the Huskies also beat Troy in San Jose in 2004 in the Silicon Valley Classic.
Nick’s Pick: NIU 24 – Idaho 20
Line: Idaho by 2
Comment: After suffering two straight gut-wrenching losses at home, getting on the road and having a change of scenery is just what the Huskies need. The Vandals lost both of their games to PAC-10 teams and barely beat I-AA Cal Poly. Idaho plays a non-conference home game against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent for the first time since 2002. It's also the third week in a row where Idaho hasn't had to travel (discounting an eight-mile bus ride to Washington State last week). NIU needs to break their losing streak and this game may just be the week to do so.
Howard @ Eastern Michigan
Howard (0-2, 0-0 MEAC) at Eastern Michigan (1-2, 1-1 MAC West, 1-1 MAC Overall) - 3:30 p.m.
SITE: Rynearson Stadium (30,200/FieldTurf) - Ypsilanti, Mich.
TELEVISION: Comcast Local (Ben Holden, Rob Otto)
SERIES RECORD: First meeting.
COACHES: HU-Carey Bailey (0-2, first season); EMU-Jeff Genyk (10-27, fourth season).
GAME NOTES: The Eagles snapped a seven-game losing streak with last week’s 21-19 win at Northern Illinois ... Howard lost last week at Florida A&M 30-17 ... an EMU win would give the Eagles back-to-back victories for the first time since Sept. 24 ( Central Michigan) and Oct. 1, 2005 ( Kent State) ... sophomore DeAnthony White had a 68-yard touchdown run last week and the week prior vs. Ball State had a 65-yard TD reception ... last week White had 78 yards on three carries ... QB Andy Schmitt had 24 pass attempts, completed 16 with no interceptions... Zach Johnson is emerging as a solid punter as last week he downed kicks inside the NIU 10-yard line on three occasions ... on the season Johnson has dropped seven punts inside the 20 ... MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week Daniel Holtzclaw had 13 stops last week from his linebacker spot ... Howard is the first of three consecutive non-conference games for the Eagles (at Vanderbilt and at Michigan to follow).
Nick’s Pick: EMU 30 – Howard 14
Line: NL
Comment: Eastern Michigan did something last week they very rarely do under Jeff Genyk - they held on to a 4th quarter lead and actually won a close game on the road. That should catapult their confidence going forward against the 0-2 Bison. Howard doesn’t have much offensively and Eastern’s defense ranks in the upper half of the MAC so far. Eastern’s offense will open up and score some points for a double digit win.
> View the VanDelay Sports selection of Eastern Michigan Eagles hats & apparel.
Wyoming @ Ohio
Wyoming (2-1, 0-0 Mountain West) at Ohio (2-1, 0-0 MAC East, 0-0 MAC overall) - 3 p.m.
SITE: Peden Stadium (24,000/FieldTurf) - Athens, Ohio
TELEVISION: WSFJ/ESPN Game Plan (Jason Koma, tbd)
SERIES RECORD: First meeting.
COACHES: Wyoming-Joe Glenn (23-17, fifth season at school; 181-86-1, 23rd season overall);
OU-Frank Solich (15-13, third season at OU; 73-31, ninth season overall).
GAME NOTES: The Bobcats suffered their first loss of the season last week in a 28-7 defeat at the hands of Virginia Tech ... the Cowboys also dropped their first game of the season last week at Boise State 24-14 ... Ohio was limited to 114 yards of total offense at Tech after averaging 424 yards in its first two games ... the Bobcats offense has committed just two turnovers its first three games, tied for the second lowest total in the MAC ... the Bobcats rank second in the MAC in scoring defense, allowing 21.7 ppg ... in last year’s 6-6 season, Wyoming played in seven games decided by eight points or less, losing at one stretch four consecutive games by a total of 21 points ... thus far in 2007, the Cowboys have outscored their opponents in the crucial fourth quarter 29-3 ... Ohio’s Kalvin McRae has rushed for 3,245 career yards and needs to reach 3,973 for the school record.
Nick’s Pick: Ohio 20 – Wyoming 16 (Upset Special)
Line: Wyoming by 3.5
Comment: Wyoming’s lone loss this year is to Boise State (24-14), and the Cowboys have proven to have a very good defense. UW beat Virginia in week #1 by a count of 23-3. Ohio has a solid defense too and held off Virginia Tech until the 4th quarter. The Bobcats playing at home and are the logical choice in a game that may very well end up going into overtime. Expect a low scoring game.
North Dakota State @ Central Michigan
North Dakota State (2-0, 0-0 Great West) at Central Michigan (1-2, 1-0 MAC West, 1-0 MAC Overall) - 3:30 p.m.
SITE: Kelly-Shorts Stadium (30,255/FieldTurf) - Mount Pleasant, Mich.
TELEVISION: None
SERIES RECORD: First meeting..
COACHES: NDSU-Craig Bohl (35-11, fifth season); CMU-Butch Jones (1-2, first season).
GAME NOTES: Last year the Bison topped MAC member Ball State 29-24 in Muncie ... NDSU is coming off a 41-38 win over Sam Houston last week ... the Chippewas lost at Purdue last week 45-22 after trailing 31-0 at the half ... Chippewa QB Dan LeFevour had his streak of pass attempts without an interception end at 154 at Purdue with a pick late in the fourth quarter ... LeFevour is second in the MAC in passing yards (780) and TD passes (5) ... CMU enters this contest with a five-game home win streak ... the Chippewas play three of their next four games at home ... NDSU QB Steve Walker has 469 passing yards and five TD passes in two games ... the Bison’s Tyler Roehl is averaging 7.4 ypc .. Ontario Sneed leads the Chippewa ground game with his average of 75.3 ypg and three TDs ... the CMU defense is allowing 534 yards and 42.7 ppg ... NDSU also plays at I-A Minnesota on Oct. 20 this year.
Nick’s Pick: Central Michigan 35 – NDSU 30
Line: NL
Comment: After Ball State’s game at Nebraska, Central Michigan may have the league’s most difficult opponent in week #4 with North Dakota State. Don’t laugh, the Bison beat Ball State last year and lost to Minnesota 10-9 while totally out-playing the Golden Gophers. NDSU will go toe to toe with the ‘Chips and may even pull off a minor upset. This publication is giving the nod in a very close game to the home team – Central Michigan.
Baylor @ Buffalo
Baylor (2-1, 0-0 Big 12 South) at Buffalo (1-2, 1-0 MAC East, 1-0 MAC overall) - 6 p.m.
SITE: UB Stadium (29,013/Sportexe Momentum) - Buffalo, N.Y.
TELEVISION: None.
SERIES RECORD: First meeting.
COACHES: Baylor-Guy Morriss (17-32, fifth season; 26-46, seventh season overall); UB-Turner
Gill (3-12, second season).
GAME NOTES: This is the Bulls home opener as well as the first-ever Big 12 team to play at UB Stadium ... the Bulls were defeated last week by No. 12 Penn State 45-24 despite having the edge in total offense yards by a 395-392 margin ... Drew Willy passed for 330 yards, the second most against a I-A opponent since UB moved up in 1999 and the seventh most in school history ... Willy leads the MAC with 72 percent pass completion rate ... Baylor has won two in a row, including last week’s 34-27 game against Texas State ... eight of Baylor’s 12 opponents this year earned a bowl bid last season ... despite being held to 16 yards on 10 carries at Penn State, Mario Henry is averaging 5.4 ypc on the season (190 yards, 35 attempts) ... Henry is ahead of the pace of UB’s leading rusher from last year, James Starks (58.7 ypg, 4.0 ypc) ... the Bears Blake Szymanski has 11 TD passes and 1,039 passing yards in just three games, although Baylor has not scored a rushing TD yet this year ... a UB win would equal the Bulls victory total from last year ... a Baylor win would give the Bears three victories, one shy of their 2006 total.
Nick’s Pick: Buffalo 23 – Baylor 21 (Upset Special)
Line: Baylor by 4
Comment: Baylor may not realize that this year’s UB squad is not “your same old Buffalo Bulls.” In fact, QB Drew Willy has become a very nice QB and there are playmakers on both sides of the ball. Last week UB had more total offense than Penn State. Baylor has been shut out against TCU, crushed a very poor Rice team, and beat I-AA (football championship subdivision) Texas State by a touchdown. Look for a big crowd for the Bulls home opener and a rare UB win over a BCS school. Since joining the I-A (football bowl subdivision) ranks in the late 1990s, Buffalo has only beaten two I-A non-conference teams, Rutgers and Temple (before they joined the MAC). Look for the Bears to be number three.
> View the VanDelay Sports selection of UB Bulls hats & apparel.
Iowa State @ Toledo
Iowa State (1-2, 0-0 Big 12 North) at Toledo (0-3, 0-1 MAC West, 0-1 MAC Overall) - 7 p.m.
SITE: Glass Bowl (26,248/NeXturf) - Toledo, Ohio
TELEVISION: None
SERIES RECORD: ISU leads 1-0 ... the Cyclones won 45-43 in triple overtime last year.
COACHES: ISU-Gene Chizik (1-2, first season); UT-Tom Amstutz (50-28, seventh season).
GAME NOTES: The Rockets are in danger of starting the season 0-4 for the first time since the 1978 squad started 0-6 ... Iowa State won its first game of 2007 last week when Bret Culbertson kicked the last of his school record five field goals with one second left for a 15-14 triumph over Iowa ... the Cyclones lost to MAC member Kent State, 23-14; to open the season ... this is the first of three straight road games for ISU ( Nebraska, Texas Tech) and the first of three consecutive home games for Toledo (Western Michigan, Liberty) ... UT is allowing nearly 50 ppg (49.7) ... ISU was 0-5 on the road in 2006 ... UT has played 36 freshmen and sophomores, including seven true freshmen, thus far ... the last two weeks UT has been without FS Tyrrell Herbert, CB Nigel Morris and DE Sean Williams, who between them have 85 career starts ... punter Brett Kern has been busy, punting 22 times in three games for an average of 46.4 ypk ... at Kansas five of his punts were dropped at the KU 11-yard line or closer (11, 8, 8, 2 and 3-yard lines.).
Nick’s Pick: Iowa State 28 – Toledo 16 Line: ISU by 4 Comment: Iowa State had an impressive defensive performance at home last week to beat in-state rival Iowa. While ISU’s offense has not hit on all cylinders yet this season, they are facing a depleted UT defense that will be much easier to score upon, and that includes the Northern Iowa defense that ISU faced two weeks ago. Toledo needs to focus on their running game and sustain longer drives to keep a defense that is missing many playmakers off of the field for as long as possible. Toledo has a chance to win this game, but based on their performances to date, and the fact that they have lost their home field advantage over the past two seasons, give the nod to the Cyclones. |
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CCSU @ Western Michigan
Central Connecticut State (2-1, 0-0 NEC) at Western Michigan (0-3, 0-0 MAC West, 0-0 MAC Overall) - 7 p.m.
SITE: Waldo Stadium (30,200/FieldTurf) - Kalamazoo, Mich.
TELEVISION: None
SERIES RECORD: First meeting.
COACHES: CCSU-Jeff McInerney (10-4, second season); WMU-Bill Cubit (15-12, second season
at school; 49-30-1, 8th season overall).
CCSU @ WMU - GAME NOTES: The Broncos return home after a road loss at Missouri, seeking their first win of 2007 ... WMU features one of the top passing attacks in the MAC, averaging 279.7 yards per game (second in the league). Tim Hiller has completed 62.2 percent (74-of-119) of his attempts for 743 yards and four TDs ... Jamarko Simmons continues to excel at WR with four successive games with 10-plus receptions dating back to last year ... Simmons’ 38 receptions leads the nation and he has totaled 400 yards receiving ... the Blue Devils scored a 56-34 victory last week over Southern Connecticut State and scored six rushing TDs in the game ... WMU’s Brandon West is averaging 29.4 ypr on kickoffs and leads the league with his 239.7 all-purpose yards per game ... a Bronco win would give head coach Bill Cubit his 50th career victory as a head coach (15 at WMU; 34 at Widener from 1992-96) ... the Broncos will embark on a schedule of six consecutive conference games after this week ... during last year’s 8-3 season, the Blue Devils had a road win at traditional; I-AA power Georgia Southern.
Nick’s Pick: Western Michigan 51 – CCSU 10
Line: NL
Comment: After facing three straight undefeated BCS teams, Western must be happy to see Central Connecticut on their schedule this weekend. CCSU lost to Towson 20-10 and has beaten Merrimack and Southern Connecticut. Whoopee! Look for Western to get their frustrations out against the Blue Devils and win by any score they choose.
> View the VanDelay Sports selection of WMU Broncos hats & merchandise online.
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