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2024 Iggy Award (ACC Tournament Record)
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Welcome to Equal Opportunity Day!
The Gettysburg Address is celebrated today by various groups in different ways, and the holiday is given a few different names. It is informally named Gettysburg Address Day simply because it marks the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's reading of the Gettysburg Address. It is also known as Equal Opportunity Day. This day was created by the National Urban League in 1956 and continues to be celebrated as such by the league and others, being proclaimed by politicians on multiple occasions. The third name given to the day is Dedication Day, having been formally named as such by a joint resolution of Congress in 1946. It continues to be celebrated as Dedication Day at the Gettysburg National Cemetery.
The Battle of Gettysburg took place on July 1-3, 1863, between Robert E. Lee's Confederate forces and the Union Army of the Potomac under George G. Meade, in the southern Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg. The Confederates were defeated, and Lee and his men retreated on the Fourth of July, the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was a battle of high casualties, with 23,000 Union and 28,000 Confederate soldiers killed, wounded, or missing, out of the 170,000 that fought.
SU News
Opponent preview: What you need to know about Louisville (DO; Dabbundo)
Syracuse (1-7, 1-6 Atlantic Coast) is tumbling toward one of its worst seasons in program history as the Orange hit the road to take on Louisville (2-6, 1-6) on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky.
Before last week’s bye, the Orange lost five consecutive games — four of which in the Atlantic Coast Conference — but the team scored a late touchdown against Boston College to end the streak of losses by double digits. While Louisville’s offense overpowered the Orange in 2019 and ended their hopes of a bowl run, the Cardinals attack hasn’t been nearly as effective this season.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Cardinals prior to their matchup with the Orange on Friday night.
All-Time Series: Louisville leads 11-7
Last time they played: Louisville 56, Syracuse 34
The Orange came out of the bye last season with a blowout win against Duke, and the offense showed legitimate improvement in the final few weeks of the season after Matthew Bergeron replaced Ryan Alexander at right tackle.
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SU offensive line stunts potential with injuries, ineffectiveness (DO; Dabbundo)
Dino Babers’ forced decision to move former fullback and tight end Chris Elmore to left guard before the first game of the season signaled just how little depth Syracuse had at the position.
A lingering preseason foot injury for Dakota Davis threw Elmore into a position he hadn’t even played in high school. His first two opponents were two teams that began the year in the Associated Press Top 25, North Carolina and Pittsburgh.
Eight games into the season, Elmore grades out as the best offensive linemen on the Orange this year, based on Pro Football Focus’s positional grades. He’s allowed the fewest pressures among Syracuse’s five regular starters.
“The guy is a fighter,” Babers said after September’s Pittsburgh loss. “If you watch the tape, he’s competing with very, very big people, and he’s doing extremely well.”
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College football: Syracuse punter Cooney overcomes cancer, exhibits promise of NFL career (nny360.com; St Croix)
Nolan Cooney made the decision to attend his first kicking camp during a conversation with his dad after receiving treatment for testicular cancer as a teenager.
That led the Syracuse University redshirt senior — cancer-free since his junior year of high school — to a football scholarship that was secured this past spring and a potential future as the Orange’s next punter to reach the NFL.
Cooney ranks 15th in the FBS with an average distance of 45.3 yards per attempt among punters who have played at least two games this season. His performance will play a key role in field position when Syracuse (1-7 overall, 1-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) faces Louisville (2-6, 1-6) at 7 p.m. Friday at Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Ky., to be televised on ESPN.
Cooney joined SU as a walk-on in 2016 and was officially placed on scholarship by SU fifth-year coach Dino Babers this past spring. He is expected to complete his master’s degree in marketing next semester.
“I think it was for me, a chance to showcase my ability, it was the belief that coach Babers had in me and the other coaches on this staff,” Cooney said of the scholarship. “It was a great opportunity that they presented me and it’s something that I’ll appreciate forever.”
Cooney was a three-sport standout and a soccer goalie, who started kicking the football as a hobby, which increased while he was home frequently as he went through chemotherapy in high school. Following a treatment session, Cooney said that his dad suggested the camp to see where his budding ability stacked up against his peers, so he signed up for a spot in Worcester, Mass., near his hometown of East Greenwich, R.I.
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Louisville’s C.J. Avery aims for NFL Draft after switch to linebacker (DO; Cirino)
C.J. Avery was amidst a lengthy recruiting process, where he was being scouted as one of the nation’s top safeties, when head coach Ashley Kuhn needed a replacement quarterback. Then a junior at Grenada (Mississippi) High School, Avery had been going to college camps to be looked at by various programs’ coaching staffs. Grenada’s starting quarterback went down with an injury, and Avery’s athleticism made him the top candidate to take over.
In his first start at the new position, he engineered all 15 of the Chargers points in a 37-15 loss. Balancing quarterback with safety, he led Grenada to its third-ever district title. He was a better quarterback than the original starter, defensive coordinator Chip Foster said.
“I was like, ‘Good lord, why hadn’t he been playing quarterback the whole time?’” Foster said. “If he did not play quarterback, we probably wouldn’t have scored.”
At the time, Avery was a four-star recruit, ranked 84th in the nation and seventh highest among safeties, according to ESPN. Now a senior at Louisville, Avery is being scouted again — this time by NFL teams. Halfway through his freshman season, then-head coach Bobby Petrino and Louisville’s defensive staff began another positional shift for Avery to inside linebacker.
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Syracuse vs Louisville Prediction, Game Preview (CFN; Fiutak)
Syracuse vs Louisville Broadcast
Date: Friday, November 20
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, KY
Network: ESPN
Syracuse (1-7) vs Louisville (2-5) Game Preview
Why Syracuse Will Win
Louisville has a hard time not giving the football to other teams.
The turnover problem was bad to start the season, there was an eye of the storm, and then it came back roaring with three giveaways in each of the last two games and five times overall.
Syracuse could use the help.
The secondary might have lost key talents, but the defense leads the ACC in takeaways and the D overall hasn’t been gouged lately. It hasn’t been a rock, but if Louisville’s offense keeps having issues with picks, the Orange will stay alive.
However …
Why Louisville Will Win
Syracuse has a giving problem, too. It can take the ball away just fine, but it alway likes to be gracious and provide enough turnovers to make life hard on itself.
It wasn’t always this way. The Orange were a whopping +11 in turnover margin over the first five games, and then … -8 in the last three with nine giveaways.
There’s that, and the offense has failed to come up with 300 yards of total offense in the last two games and only hit 100 rushing yards twice this season. Louisville should outgain Syracuse by way over 100 yards.
What’s Going To Happen
Both teams keep screwing up, and both teams are in the midst of massively disappointing seasons. Syracuse can’t catch a break, and outside of the battle with Boston College last week, it’s getting its doors blown off. Louisville can’t catch a break, and it’s losing too many close games.
Louisville will finally get an easy game.
Syracuse vs Louisville Prediction, Line
Louisville 38, Syracuse 24
Bet on Syracuse vs Louisville with BetMGM
Louisville -18, o/u: 56.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
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Syracuse vs. Louisville Football Prediction and Preview (athlonsports.com; Staley)
Orange and Cardinals meet on Friday night with both teams looking for their second ACC win of the season
Two struggling teams in the ACC will meet each other on Friday in primetime.
Both the Syracuse Orange (1-7, 1-6 ACC) and Louisville Cardinals (2-6, 1-6) are looking to get their second conference victory of the season. The Orange's only other ACC win came against Georgia Tech on Sept. 26. The Cardinals have lost two straight after their first ACC win against Florida State on Oct. 24.
When it comes to the overall series, Louisville holds an 11-7 edge against Syracuse. The Cardinals have won five of their last six matchups, including last year's matchup 56-34 in Louisville.
Syracuse at Louisville
Kickoff: Friday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: Louisville -18
When Syracuse Has the Ball
Syracuse's offense has been really struggling as of late during its five-game losing streak. The Orange are ranked 123th in total offense at just 263.8 yards per game. Syracuse is also averaging just 18.3 points per game, which is 114th nationally.
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Three keys to success for Louisville football against Syracuse in Friday night action (C-J; Robinson)
The Louisville football team is back this week with its second Friday night game of the year.
The Cardinals (2-6) will host Syracuse (1-6) at 7 p.m. Friday and are picked as 18-point favorites even without star running back Javian Hawkins. Hawkins announced his decision to opt out of the rest of the season and prepare for the NFL Draft on Monday.
That means former starting running back Hassan Hall will take over most of the carries in the backfield. He has missed the last three games with injuries and a death in the family, but returned to practice this week. Along with Hall, Louisville will mix both Maurice Burkley and Jalen Mitchell into the rotation.
What was always a major storyline became even bigger this week as Syracuse has the worst rushing defense in the conference, giving up 233 yards per game. Syracuse also has the worst scoring offense, rushing offense and passing offense. There’s a reason the Orange, who have lost many players to opt outs this season, have won just one game this year.
Still, they pose a threat in some areas and are second nationally with 17 forced turnovers. Louisville is a heavy favorite at home, but will have to be on its game to end its losing streak and keep its bowl hopes alive.
Read this:How Louisville's creative team helps build the football program from behind the scenes
Here are Louisville’s three keys to success:
Cut down on turnovers
It seems simple, but it has been anything but that for Louisville this season. Syracuse, as we mentioned above, is one of the best teams in the country at forcing turnovers. The Orange have forced nine interceptions and recovered eight fumbles, so they’ll be looking to do more of the same in Louisville. It’s the only way Syracuse can stay in games because its offense has turned the ball over 14 times, one of the worst rates in the country.
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Beat writers predict 6th straight Syracuse football loss (DO; Staff)
Syracuse (1-7, 1-6 Atlantic Coast) is traveling to Louisville this week to face the Cardinals (2-6, 1-6) in a rare Friday night matchup.
Louisville, led by dual-threat quarterback Malik Cunningham, is coming off an eight-win 2019 campaign, but the Cardinals are experiencing a 2020 season as disappointing as SU’s. Syracuse enters the Louisville game with an extra week of rest after losing to Boston College 16-13 on Nov. 7.
Here’s how our three beat reporters think Friday’s contest will play out:
Anthony Dabbundo (6-2)
Friday Night Lights
Louisville 37, Syracuse 20
Syracuse’s offense should find some success against a mediocre Louisville defense, much as they have the last two seasons against the Cardinals.
The Orange will have more of their offense available for JaCobian Morgan, who may surprise some people Friday night following an extra two weeks of preparation as the No. 1 quarterback. But on the other side of the ball, Louisville is the ACC’s most explosive team, Malik Cunningham is a matchup nightmare at quarterback and the Orange’s tackling in space has been inconsistent at best.
Syracuse keeps this close for the first half as the defense remains stout against the Cardinals’ average red zone offense. But Louisville’s speed and big play capabilities will enable them to extend the lead in the second half and roll to a victory. Unless Cunningham’s turnover woes continue, the Orange won’t be able to keep up.
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Syracuse football has chance to move out of ACC basement vs. Louisville (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse football is a huge underdog as the Orange heads to Louisville on Friday evening.
Syracuse football, following a bye week, makes a trip to Louisville this Friday night, in an Atlantic Coast Conference clash that pits two of the league’s worst teams to date in the 2020 stanza.
After a 31-17 loss at Virginia this past Saturday, the Cardinals are 2-6 overall and 1-6 in ACC competition. The Orange (1-7, 1-6), meanwhile, is currently in last place within the conference, but the ‘Cuse did hang tough with Boston College in its most recent encounter, falling 16-13 from the Carrier Dome on Nov. 7.
Should Syracuse football, a team decimated this term by injuries, student-athlete opt-outs and poor play, manage to knock off Louisville, that would get the Orange out of the ACC’s basement, at least for the time being.
It might also prove the best opportunity remaining in the current campaign for the ‘Cuse to notch a success, as the squad’s other games left on the docket are at home against a good N.C. State group and on the road versus highly rated Notre Dame, which is a serious contender for the College Football Playoff.
At this juncture, even though both the Cardinals and the Orange are really struggling, Louisville is a roughly 18-point favorite, according to odds-makers.
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What To Watch For: Syracuse Orange (cardchronicle; Wynne)
CAN LOUISVILLE NOT TURN THE BALL OVER?
Louisville has the worst turnover margin in the country. They haven’t turned their opponent over enough but the real issue is the consistency in which they give the ball away. UofL has turned the ball over at least one time in every game this season save the Notre Dame game. That ended up being the closest game of the season. At this point, you have to wonder if it’s just a feature of the offense and not a bug.
Malik Cunningham has been particularly bad when it comes to protecting the football as a passer and a runner. He has failed to identify defenders and he has been too cavalier when he’s throwing the ball down the field. Louisville needs the guy who touches the ball every play to protect it like he understands that fact.
BRYAN BROWN WILL GET AFTER THE QUARTERBACK
Syracuse will be starting Jacobian Morgan for the second straight game and the true freshman will see a lot of blitzes from Louisville. Bryan Brown has grown more confident in his secondary as the year has gone on and Morgan won’t likely be very comfortable with finding receivers quickly.
He held his own against Boston College two weeks ago but Morgan doesn’t look comfortable in the pocket yet and he didn’t look very good throwing the ball down the field. Morgan did impress me with his ability to keep his eyes down the field once he got outside of the pocket but I think Brown would be fine risking those plays now that his secondary is playing better.
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Notre Dame: Looking Ahead At The Final Four Opponents (SI; Driskell)
Let's use the bye week to take an early look at Notre Dame's final four opponents.
BRYAN DRISKELL19 HOURS AGO
Okay, so technically Notre Dame only has three opponents left on the schedule, but barring a collapse, the Irish and Clemson Tigers are on a collision course for a rematch in the ACC title game.
With the bye week upon us, let's take a look at the final four opponents left on the schedule.
OVERVIEW
Notre Dame is definitely the middle of its toughest stretch of football, and so far the Irish are 2-0. Notre Dame's first eight opponents combined for a 25-39 record, while the final four opponents have an 18-13 record, which includes 1-7 Syracuse.
Here's a look at how the Notre Dame offense stacks up against the offense of the final four opponents (Note: ACC rankings are provided)
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SYRACUSE ORANGE
Record: 1-7
Last Meeting: Notre Dame won 36-3 on Oct. 17, 2018
Remaining Schedule
at Louisville (2-6)
NC State (5-3)
at Notre Dame (8-0)
Analysis: It has been a struggle for head coach Dino Babers. After leading the Orange to an impressive 10-3 record in 2018, Babers and Syracuse are just 6-14 in the two seasons since.
The strangest part has been the immediate cratering of the offense. That offense fueled the 10-win season in 2018, averaging 40.2 points and 464.8 yards per game. That dropped to 28.3 points and 394.6 yards last season, and the Orange are averaging a paltry 18.3 points and 263.8 yards per game this season.
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What to do about 2020 OOC cancellations (RX; HM)
What to do about 2020 OOC cancellations
What should be done about home-and-home non-conference series where the first game was canceled due to the pandemic? Does the team which lost the home game agree to what essentially becomes a one-and-done? What about on-going series which normally alternates between two sites, but where one team now will end up playing away-skip-away again?
Which 2020 games are we talking about? Here are the P5 non-conference ACC home games which were lost to the pandemic
- Purdue @ Boston College*
- South Carolina @ Clemson
- Florida @ Florida State
- Kentucky @ Louisville
- Mississippi State @ NC State
- Penn State @ Virginia Tech
- Georgia Tech @ Georgia
- Miami @ Michigan State
* note: Boston College already played the game at Purdue in 2018; the return trip was supposed to be in 2020.
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My Rx:
Keep the return games, but turn them into neutral site games. Here are some possible venues:
- South Carolina vs. Clemson (Charlotte)
- Florida vs. Florida State (Jacksonville)
- Kentucky vs. Louisville (Cincinnati or Nashville)
- Mississippi State vs. NC State (Atlanta)
- Penn State vs. Virginia Tech (Washington)
Recruiting Ranking Update - 11/18/20 (RX; HM)
Recruiting Ranking Update - 11/18/20
Finally, a non-Virginia Tech post! We may be in a pandemic, with games being postponed or canceled left and right, but one thing hasn't changed about college football: recruiting can make or break a team and a coach. The early signing date for D-I football is fast approaching (December 16, 2020). How do ACC look compared to other FBS programs in the eastern part of the United States? Here are those teams in the general ACC footprint ranked by 247Sports as of 11/18/2020:
| Rank | Team | Total | 5-* | 4-* | 3-* | Other | Points |
| 1 | Alabama | 22 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 310.25 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 20 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 304.22 |
| 3 | LSU | 22 | 1 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 291.04 |
| 4 | Oregon | 23 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 285.1 |
| 5 | Georgia | 19 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 282.83 |
| 6 | Clemson | 17 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 274.8 |
| 7 | Florida | 26 | 1 | 14 | 11 | 0 | 267.67 |
| 8 | USC | 21 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 264.38 |
| 9 | Michigan | 21 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 263.97 |
| 10 | Tennessee | 26 | 1 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 262.34 |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 21 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 261.82 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 15 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 256.86 |
| 13 | Miami | 21 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 255.25 |
| 14 | North Carolina | 17 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 250.63 |
| 15 | Texas A&M | 18 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 244.77 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 20 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 239.27 |
| 17 | Texas | 18 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 229.5 |
| 18 | Auburn | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 213.31 |
| 19 | California | 19 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 208.26 |
| 20 | Nebraska | 20 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 208.08 |
| 21 | Florida State | 16 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 204.91 |
| 22 | Arkansas | 19 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 203.94 |
| 23 | Iowa | 16 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 201.73 |
| 24 | Miss. State | 21 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 1 | 201.25 |
| 25 | Washington | 15 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 200.7 |
| Rank | Team | Total | 5-* | 4-* | 3-* | Other | Points |
| 26 | Maryland | 19 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 200.51 |
| 28 | NC State | 19 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 1 | 199.48 |
| 30 | Kentucky | 18 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 198.4 |
| 31 | Louisville | 22 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 198.02 |
| 32 | Penn State | 14 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 197.77 |
| 33 | Pittsburgh | 19 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 196.87 |
| 36 | West Virginia | 16 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 194.66 |
| 38 | Virginia | 22 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 192.27 |
| 39 | Boston College | 24 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 191.38 |
| 40 | Georgia Tech | 19 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 190.04 |
| 41 | Rutgers | 22 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 188.81 |
| 42 | Virginia Tech | 22 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 186.49 |
| 43 | Cincinnati | 22 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 184.78 |
| 44 | Michigan State | 19 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 183.84 |
| 46 | South Carolina | 16 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 181.59 |
| 47 | Syracuse | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 175.67 |
| 50 | Duke | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 171.95 |
| 58 | Wake Forest | 18 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 164.86 |
ACC football Week 12 preview: No. 4 Clemson gets QB Trevor Lawrence back for FSU (fayobserver.com; Batten)
GAME OF THE WEEK
NO. 4 CLEMSON (7-1, 6-1) AT FLORIDA STATE (2-6, 1-6)
When: Noon, Saturday
Where: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Fla.
TV: ABC
KEYS FOR CLEMSON
Re-establish the run: It’s hard to imagine a team with Travis Etienne at running back could be limited to 34 rushing yards by anybody. But that’s exactly what Notre Dame did two weeks ago in its 47-40 double-overtime victory against the Tigers.
That marked the fewest rushing yards by Clemson since a 2011 loss at N.C. State, when it also was held to 34 yards. The Fighting Irish took advantage of an offensive line with four new starters to hold Etienne to a career-low 28 yards on 18 carries.
Florida State might be the perfect opponent to rejuvenate the Tigers’ rushing attack. The Seminoles are giving up an average of five yards per rush this season and have surrendered an ACC-high of 26 touchdowns on the ground.
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Other
Deep dish: Tangy Tomato brings Chicago-style pizza to Syracuse (PS; $; Cazentre)
Welcome to Chicago, Syracuse-style.
Syracuse may be in the heart of New York, but a new pizzeria on Burnet Avenue in Eastwood is aiming to win customers over with its version of the deep-dish pies made famous in the Windy City.
Tangy Tomato Pizzeria opened Nov. 9 at 1428 Burnet Ave., in the spot occupied by Gianni’s Pizza until it closed in March. The owners, Melanie Austin and Meaghan Corning, worked together for eight years at Gianni’s (which boasted “Bronx-style” pizzas).
Tangy Tomato serves both New York- and Chicago-style pies, but the deep dish (or deep as they like to call it) has been the bigger seller by a long-shot, Austin said. They sold hundreds of deeps in the first few days alone.
Deeps may become even more of a focus, she said.
Austin and Corning traveled to Chicago to seek tips and knowledge about that city’s famed pies, visiting such deep-dish legends as Giordano’s and Lou Malnati’s.
But they’re bringing their own spin to them based on their years in the local pizza business. Between them, Austin and Corning have experience at such local places as Cam’s, Avicolli’s and OIP (Original Italian Pizza).
“We’re bringing the deep here, but we’re making it our deep,” Austin said.
The Tangy Tomato menu also includes wings (including chargrilled), calzones, salads, and hot and cold subs (which they call grinders). The hot wing sauce, by the way, is the same one used at Swallow’s tavern in Syracuse, which Corning’s father Bob once owned).
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