Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, October 11
Rynearson Stadium
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
2-4 , 1-1
37
vs
27
Buffalo
3-4 , 1-2
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Buffalo
7
3
3
14
27
Eastern Michigan
0
3
13
21
37
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Bell's Career Day Propels EMU Football to 37-27 Homecoming Victory
10/11/2014 6:16:00 PM | Football
Redshirt-freshman quarterback accounts for 344 total yards and four touchdowns in the MAC win over Buffalo
Photo Gallery
Coach Creighton Press Conference
Reggie_Bell and Anthony_Zappone Press Conference
Postgame Highlights.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Behind 34 second-half points, Eastern Michigan University's football team was able to keep its record at The Factory untarnished with a 37-27 Homecoming victory over Mid-American Conference foe the University at Buffalo, Oct. 11. With the win, the Eagles improve to 2-4 (1-1 MAC), while the Bulls fell to 3-4 (1-2 MAC).
The Eagles were led by a career day out of redshirt-freshman quarterback Reginald Bell Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif.-Susan Miller Dorsey). Bell threw 8-for-13 for 144 yards and one touchdown, but the Golden State native truly shone in his rushing. He led all players with 202 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground, including a pair of 70+ yarders. With touchdown runs of 71 and 72 yards, Bell became the first Eagle in EMU history to run for two 70+ yard touchdowns in one game. The last time an Eagle registered more than 200 yards rushing was Oct. 19, 2013, when Bronson Hill (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Catholic Central) ran 257 yards against Ohio. The redshirt freshman is also the first Eastern quarterback to rush for over 200 yards; the previous high for a quarterback was Alex Gillett, who ran for 189 yards in a win over Ball State, Oct. 16, 2010.
Bell acted as the catalyst for the Green and White, as the offense went from 73 yards of total offense to 484 yards after he went into the game with 4:15 left in the second quarter. The feat marks the first time since Nov. 9, 2013, that EMU has turned in more than 400 yards of total offense, the last time being against Western Michigan University in a Rynearson Stadium MAC matchup. Additionally, Bell ran 10 times for 104 yards in the third quarter alone, when EMU outgained Buffalo 204 yards to 42.
David Gibson (Cleveland, Ohio-Solon) caught two passes for 47 yards, including a 23-yard catch for his first career touchdown reception, to lead the EMU receiving corps. Behind Bell, Ryan Brumfield (Chester Springs, Pa.-Owen J. Robert) had 62 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The team effort resulted in the best second half performance of the season, scoring 34 points.
Other members of the Green and White saw career numbers in the EMU victory. Defensively, Anthony Zappone (Westlake, Ohio-Westlake) led all players with 13 tackles and also posted a career-best three tackles for loss. Pat O'Connor (Chicago, Ill.-Saint Rita) was a nuisance to Buffalo quarterback Joe Licata, recording 2.5 sacks and six hurries. The team also had two interceptions thanks to Jason Beck (Indianapolis, Ind.-Arsenal Technical) and Kevin Johnson (McKeesport, Pa.-McKeesport). Special teams also did its part with a blocked field goal by Mike Steals (North Braddock, Pa.-Woodland Hills) and a 62-yard punt by Owen Dubiel (East Jackson, Mich.-East Jackson) that was down at the two-yard line.
Buffalo was paced by Licata, who was 27-of-44 for 383 yards and three touchdowns. Anthone Taylor led the offense on the ground, as the MAC-leading rusher went 128 yards on 24 carries. Defensively, just one Bull had a double-digit tackle performance in Lee Skinner, with 10 stops.
The Bulls seemed to have found success on their opening drive, thanks in large part to two 14-yard rushes by Licata. With Buffalo in EMU territory, Licata created a 32-yard path for Taylor to rush into the red zone. However, the Eagle defense stepped up and forced a pair of incomplete passes intended to put Buffalo on the board, which in turn led to a field goal attempt for the Bulls from 27 yards out. However, Patrick Clarke pegged the right goal post and turned the ball over to the Eagles as the score stood at an unblemished 0-0.
Offensive efforts turned stagnant for the Eagles, giving up a punt quickly after regaining possession. The Bulls capitalized on their next effort as Licata found Ron Willoughby 49 yards down-field and later found Marcus McGill open for a 24-yard launch that would result in Buffalo's first points of the afternoon. Clarke did not have any problems finding the middle ground between posts on his kick attempt, giving the Eagles a 7-0 deficit with 2:45 to play in the first quarter.
An opportunity to move into Buffalo territory still did not present itself when the Eagles next took possession, but a bright spot did emerge from Dubiel, whose punt danced onto the Buffalo two-yard line. Taylor quickly proved why he ranks among the top rushers in the nation on a 41-yard dash. The Bulls continued to shuffle toward the end zone until they found themselves less than yard from the goal line. A tremendous effort from EMU's line kept Buffalo from reaching the end zone, taking down Taylor's rushing attempts twice before O'Connor sacked Licata for a loss. Buffalo decided to go for the field goal attempt on fourth down, extending the lead as Eastern trailed 10-0 with 9:24 remaining in the first half.
Bell entered the game with four minutes remaining in the second quarter to give the Green and White a fresh look, and he quickly provided the spark that the Eagles needed. Bell used his lean athleticism to spin around defenders on a rush followed by a hand-off to Darius Jackson (Sparta, Ill.-Sparta) for a 33-yard carry. Bell continued to push through the Buffalo line with two four-yard rushes before he nailed a 20-yard pass to Cole Gardner (Batavia, Ill.-Batavia) to put the Eagles in the red zone for the first time in the contest, just one yard from goal. Bell tried to find Jackson and Allen inside the end zone in alternating plays, but both attempts did not reach fruition. Nonetheless, the Green and White was able to chip away at its deficit with a 21-yard field goal by Dylan Mulder (Saline, Mich.-Saline), to make it 10-3 with one minute to play in the half. The clock ticked away to close out the opening portion of the contest, with the Eagles retreating to the locker room down by just a touchdown.
The Eagles came out from their intermission with a renewed determination to wrangle the Bulls on their home turf. The team lit up the scoreboard almost immediately when Bell charged out for a 71-yard rush for a touchdown. Bell lost the defenders attempting to take him down around the UB 30-yard line and built his distance even further en route to the end zone. The touchdown dash was the first of Bell's career, and the 71-yard distance bested his previous rushing record by 60 yards. The extra point attempt to equalize the score was blocked, giving the Eagles just a 9-10 disadvantage 39 seconds into the second half.
Eastern's defense was able to pressure Buffalo into taking another field goal attempt, pushing the Bulls back from the 10-yard line to the 23-yard line. Clarke's pushed the score to 9-13 with 11:22 in the third quarter. Bell continued to fuel EMU's offensive groove, handing off to Brumfield for 24 combined yards on the ground and rushing eight yards of his own. The redshirt-freshman lobbed a 24-yard pass to Gibson on the Buffalo two-yard line, but the Eagles were unable to cross the goal line in four attempts and the score remained at a standstill for the drive.
Once again, the Eagle defense kept the Bulls in the pen and the team soon found itself with possession again. Bell aired it out to Tyreese Russell (Melrose Park, Ill.-Walther Lutheran) for 20 yards to cross into Buffalo territory. Another 20-yard pass found Dustin Creel (Industry, Pa.-Western Beaver), followed by a rush by Bell to give the Eagles a first-and-goal. The team did not reprise the misfortune of its previous drive, as Brumfield powered through for the one-yard rush to flip the lead and give the Eagles the first advantage of the game at 16-13 with three minutes left in the quarter.
Using the motivation from the last drive, the defense came out with hard-hitting intensity. In the first two plays, the Eagles combined for a loss of nine yards, highlighted by a sack by Mike Brown (Sandusky, Ohio-Sandusky) to push the Bulls to third-and-19. A huge tackle from Zappone and Johnson on Devon Hughes forced another punt, but an untimely fumble from Bell at the EMU 10-yard line was recovered by Buffalo's Lee Skinner. The rock did not stay with the Bulls for long, who were pushed back thanks to a tackle by Zappone before Johnson made a sprawling dive to pick off a pass and return possession to the Eagles before the start of the fourth quarter.
A handful of aggressively risky tosses did not come to fruition for the Green and White, which gave up its fifth punt shortly after the open of the final quarter. The Eagles were able to control the Bulls' offense once more, who lined up to attempt a 39-yard field goal after being unable to move down the field. Causing an uproarious reaction from the sideline and stands, Steals blocked the field goal attempt, which was recovered by Willie Creear (Seattle, Wash.-Lindbergh (Butte JC)) at the 50-yard line with 13:12 to play.
Bell threw down the middle of the field to Kenny Jones (Indianapolis, Ind.-Lawrence Central), who made a flying catch to pull in a 29-yard pass and put the line of scrimmage on the UB 10-yard line. Bell's career game kept going when he rushed in the final 10 yards for his second touchdown of the game. The extra point from Mulder increased the EMU lead to 23-13 with 11:38 remaining.
Luck continued to favor the Eagles when Buffalo's Devin Campbell fumbled the kickoff return at the Bulls' 24-yard line and was recovered by Hunter Matt (Wyandotte, Mich.-Roosevelt). The Eagles pounced on their opportunity to score, with Bell dropping in a 23-yard pass to Gibson in the far right corner of the end zone. The touchdown pass marked a career first for both players: Bell collected his first touchdown pass while Gibson recorded his first receiving touchdown while donning the Green and White. The team extended its lead to 30-13 after a remarkably short 14-second scoring drive.
The Bulls found their way within two yards of the end zone, but ran into a barricade of Eastern defense that continued to push Buffalo back. Gary White, Jr (Raleigh, N.C.-Southeast Raleigh-Grossmont) picked up a tackle for a loss of six yards and a quarterback hurry from O'Connor on a fourth down attempt led to an incomplete pass that would give the ball back to the Eagles with 7:26 to play.
The Eagles could not convert on their next drive, but still held on to a comfortable lead as Buffalo would take the ball for its next drive. The Bulls caught a break when Licata found Matt Weiser down-field for a 50-yard catch for a touchdown, but Eastern retained the lead at 30-20 with 4:52 in the game. An onside kick was recovered by the Bulls on their own 49-yard line, but the Eagles succeeded in preventing their opposition from advancing far down the field. As Licata threw a high-flying lob to the right sideline, Beck maneuvered his way in front of the receiver and nabbed his first career interception.
With the ball back in the Eagles' hands, Bell bolted past the Buffalo line once more, this time for a 72-yard touchdown. UB was able to move down the field for another touchdown thanks to a pass from Campbell, but the clock ran down as the Eagles came away with the 37-27 victory.
The Eagles will hit the road for their next contest when they take on the University of Massachusetts Minutemen. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 as well as the airwaves of WEMU.
Coach Creighton Press Conference
Reggie_Bell and Anthony_Zappone Press Conference
Postgame Highlights.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Behind 34 second-half points, Eastern Michigan University's football team was able to keep its record at The Factory untarnished with a 37-27 Homecoming victory over Mid-American Conference foe the University at Buffalo, Oct. 11. With the win, the Eagles improve to 2-4 (1-1 MAC), while the Bulls fell to 3-4 (1-2 MAC).
The Eagles were led by a career day out of redshirt-freshman quarterback Reginald Bell Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif.-Susan Miller Dorsey). Bell threw 8-for-13 for 144 yards and one touchdown, but the Golden State native truly shone in his rushing. He led all players with 202 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground, including a pair of 70+ yarders. With touchdown runs of 71 and 72 yards, Bell became the first Eagle in EMU history to run for two 70+ yard touchdowns in one game. The last time an Eagle registered more than 200 yards rushing was Oct. 19, 2013, when Bronson Hill (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Catholic Central) ran 257 yards against Ohio. The redshirt freshman is also the first Eastern quarterback to rush for over 200 yards; the previous high for a quarterback was Alex Gillett, who ran for 189 yards in a win over Ball State, Oct. 16, 2010.
Bell acted as the catalyst for the Green and White, as the offense went from 73 yards of total offense to 484 yards after he went into the game with 4:15 left in the second quarter. The feat marks the first time since Nov. 9, 2013, that EMU has turned in more than 400 yards of total offense, the last time being against Western Michigan University in a Rynearson Stadium MAC matchup. Additionally, Bell ran 10 times for 104 yards in the third quarter alone, when EMU outgained Buffalo 204 yards to 42.
David Gibson (Cleveland, Ohio-Solon) caught two passes for 47 yards, including a 23-yard catch for his first career touchdown reception, to lead the EMU receiving corps. Behind Bell, Ryan Brumfield (Chester Springs, Pa.-Owen J. Robert) had 62 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The team effort resulted in the best second half performance of the season, scoring 34 points.
Other members of the Green and White saw career numbers in the EMU victory. Defensively, Anthony Zappone (Westlake, Ohio-Westlake) led all players with 13 tackles and also posted a career-best three tackles for loss. Pat O'Connor (Chicago, Ill.-Saint Rita) was a nuisance to Buffalo quarterback Joe Licata, recording 2.5 sacks and six hurries. The team also had two interceptions thanks to Jason Beck (Indianapolis, Ind.-Arsenal Technical) and Kevin Johnson (McKeesport, Pa.-McKeesport). Special teams also did its part with a blocked field goal by Mike Steals (North Braddock, Pa.-Woodland Hills) and a 62-yard punt by Owen Dubiel (East Jackson, Mich.-East Jackson) that was down at the two-yard line.
Buffalo was paced by Licata, who was 27-of-44 for 383 yards and three touchdowns. Anthone Taylor led the offense on the ground, as the MAC-leading rusher went 128 yards on 24 carries. Defensively, just one Bull had a double-digit tackle performance in Lee Skinner, with 10 stops.
The Bulls seemed to have found success on their opening drive, thanks in large part to two 14-yard rushes by Licata. With Buffalo in EMU territory, Licata created a 32-yard path for Taylor to rush into the red zone. However, the Eagle defense stepped up and forced a pair of incomplete passes intended to put Buffalo on the board, which in turn led to a field goal attempt for the Bulls from 27 yards out. However, Patrick Clarke pegged the right goal post and turned the ball over to the Eagles as the score stood at an unblemished 0-0.
Offensive efforts turned stagnant for the Eagles, giving up a punt quickly after regaining possession. The Bulls capitalized on their next effort as Licata found Ron Willoughby 49 yards down-field and later found Marcus McGill open for a 24-yard launch that would result in Buffalo's first points of the afternoon. Clarke did not have any problems finding the middle ground between posts on his kick attempt, giving the Eagles a 7-0 deficit with 2:45 to play in the first quarter.
An opportunity to move into Buffalo territory still did not present itself when the Eagles next took possession, but a bright spot did emerge from Dubiel, whose punt danced onto the Buffalo two-yard line. Taylor quickly proved why he ranks among the top rushers in the nation on a 41-yard dash. The Bulls continued to shuffle toward the end zone until they found themselves less than yard from the goal line. A tremendous effort from EMU's line kept Buffalo from reaching the end zone, taking down Taylor's rushing attempts twice before O'Connor sacked Licata for a loss. Buffalo decided to go for the field goal attempt on fourth down, extending the lead as Eastern trailed 10-0 with 9:24 remaining in the first half.
Bell entered the game with four minutes remaining in the second quarter to give the Green and White a fresh look, and he quickly provided the spark that the Eagles needed. Bell used his lean athleticism to spin around defenders on a rush followed by a hand-off to Darius Jackson (Sparta, Ill.-Sparta) for a 33-yard carry. Bell continued to push through the Buffalo line with two four-yard rushes before he nailed a 20-yard pass to Cole Gardner (Batavia, Ill.-Batavia) to put the Eagles in the red zone for the first time in the contest, just one yard from goal. Bell tried to find Jackson and Allen inside the end zone in alternating plays, but both attempts did not reach fruition. Nonetheless, the Green and White was able to chip away at its deficit with a 21-yard field goal by Dylan Mulder (Saline, Mich.-Saline), to make it 10-3 with one minute to play in the half. The clock ticked away to close out the opening portion of the contest, with the Eagles retreating to the locker room down by just a touchdown.
The Eagles came out from their intermission with a renewed determination to wrangle the Bulls on their home turf. The team lit up the scoreboard almost immediately when Bell charged out for a 71-yard rush for a touchdown. Bell lost the defenders attempting to take him down around the UB 30-yard line and built his distance even further en route to the end zone. The touchdown dash was the first of Bell's career, and the 71-yard distance bested his previous rushing record by 60 yards. The extra point attempt to equalize the score was blocked, giving the Eagles just a 9-10 disadvantage 39 seconds into the second half.
Eastern's defense was able to pressure Buffalo into taking another field goal attempt, pushing the Bulls back from the 10-yard line to the 23-yard line. Clarke's pushed the score to 9-13 with 11:22 in the third quarter. Bell continued to fuel EMU's offensive groove, handing off to Brumfield for 24 combined yards on the ground and rushing eight yards of his own. The redshirt-freshman lobbed a 24-yard pass to Gibson on the Buffalo two-yard line, but the Eagles were unable to cross the goal line in four attempts and the score remained at a standstill for the drive.
Once again, the Eagle defense kept the Bulls in the pen and the team soon found itself with possession again. Bell aired it out to Tyreese Russell (Melrose Park, Ill.-Walther Lutheran) for 20 yards to cross into Buffalo territory. Another 20-yard pass found Dustin Creel (Industry, Pa.-Western Beaver), followed by a rush by Bell to give the Eagles a first-and-goal. The team did not reprise the misfortune of its previous drive, as Brumfield powered through for the one-yard rush to flip the lead and give the Eagles the first advantage of the game at 16-13 with three minutes left in the quarter.
Using the motivation from the last drive, the defense came out with hard-hitting intensity. In the first two plays, the Eagles combined for a loss of nine yards, highlighted by a sack by Mike Brown (Sandusky, Ohio-Sandusky) to push the Bulls to third-and-19. A huge tackle from Zappone and Johnson on Devon Hughes forced another punt, but an untimely fumble from Bell at the EMU 10-yard line was recovered by Buffalo's Lee Skinner. The rock did not stay with the Bulls for long, who were pushed back thanks to a tackle by Zappone before Johnson made a sprawling dive to pick off a pass and return possession to the Eagles before the start of the fourth quarter.
A handful of aggressively risky tosses did not come to fruition for the Green and White, which gave up its fifth punt shortly after the open of the final quarter. The Eagles were able to control the Bulls' offense once more, who lined up to attempt a 39-yard field goal after being unable to move down the field. Causing an uproarious reaction from the sideline and stands, Steals blocked the field goal attempt, which was recovered by Willie Creear (Seattle, Wash.-Lindbergh (Butte JC)) at the 50-yard line with 13:12 to play.
Bell threw down the middle of the field to Kenny Jones (Indianapolis, Ind.-Lawrence Central), who made a flying catch to pull in a 29-yard pass and put the line of scrimmage on the UB 10-yard line. Bell's career game kept going when he rushed in the final 10 yards for his second touchdown of the game. The extra point from Mulder increased the EMU lead to 23-13 with 11:38 remaining.
Luck continued to favor the Eagles when Buffalo's Devin Campbell fumbled the kickoff return at the Bulls' 24-yard line and was recovered by Hunter Matt (Wyandotte, Mich.-Roosevelt). The Eagles pounced on their opportunity to score, with Bell dropping in a 23-yard pass to Gibson in the far right corner of the end zone. The touchdown pass marked a career first for both players: Bell collected his first touchdown pass while Gibson recorded his first receiving touchdown while donning the Green and White. The team extended its lead to 30-13 after a remarkably short 14-second scoring drive.
The Bulls found their way within two yards of the end zone, but ran into a barricade of Eastern defense that continued to push Buffalo back. Gary White, Jr (Raleigh, N.C.-Southeast Raleigh-Grossmont) picked up a tackle for a loss of six yards and a quarterback hurry from O'Connor on a fourth down attempt led to an incomplete pass that would give the ball back to the Eagles with 7:26 to play.
The Eagles could not convert on their next drive, but still held on to a comfortable lead as Buffalo would take the ball for its next drive. The Bulls caught a break when Licata found Matt Weiser down-field for a 50-yard catch for a touchdown, but Eastern retained the lead at 30-20 with 4:52 in the game. An onside kick was recovered by the Bulls on their own 49-yard line, but the Eagles succeeded in preventing their opposition from advancing far down the field. As Licata threw a high-flying lob to the right sideline, Beck maneuvered his way in front of the receiver and nabbed his first career interception.
With the ball back in the Eagles' hands, Bell bolted past the Buffalo line once more, this time for a 72-yard touchdown. UB was able to move down the field for another touchdown thanks to a pass from Campbell, but the clock ran down as the Eagles came away with the 37-27 victory.
The Eagles will hit the road for their next contest when they take on the University of Massachusetts Minutemen. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 as well as the airwaves of WEMU.
Team Stats
UB
EMU
Total Yards
537
484
Pass Yards
383
147
Rushing Yards
154
337
Penalty Yards
60
62
1st Downs
22
18
3rd Downs
10
5
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
34:29
25:31
1st Quarter
UB 7, EMU 0
UB - McGILL, Marcus 24 yd pass from LICATA, Joe (CLARKE, Patrick kick) 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:14
2nd Quarter
UB 10, EMU 0
UB - CLARKE, Patrick 24 yd field goal 12 plays, 91 yards, TOP 6:30
UB 10, EMU 3
EMU - MULDER, Dylan 21 yd field goal 11 plays, 70 yards, TOP 3:19
3rd Quarter
UB 10, EMU 9
EMU - BELL, Reginald 71 yd run (MULDER, Dylan kickblocked), 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:39
UB 13, EMU 9
UB - CLARKE, Patrick 40 yd field goal 8 plays, 20 yards, TOP 2:59
UB 13, EMU 16
EMU - BRUMFIELD, Ryan 1 yd run (MULDER, Dylan kick), 7 plays, 53 yards, TOP 2:12
4th Quarter
UB 13, EMU 23
EMU - BELL, Reginald 10 yd run (MULDER, Dylan kick), 4 plays, 50 yards, TOP 1:42
UB 13, EMU 30
EMU - GIBSON, David 23 yd pass from BELL, Reginald (MULDER, Dylan kick) 2 plays, 23 yards, TOP 0:14
UB 20, EMU 30
UB - WEISER, Matt 50 yd pass from LICATA, Joe (CLARKE, Patrick kick) 3 plays, 62 yards, TOP 1:02
UB 20, EMU 37
EMU - BELL, Reginald 72 yd run (MULDER, Dylan kick), 2 plays, 74 yards, TOP 0:57
UB 27, EMU 37
UB - HUGHES, Devon 4 yd pass from LICATA, Joe (CLARKE, Patrick kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:41
Game Leaders
CMP
8
TD
1
YDS
144
INT
0
CMP
2
TD
0
YDS
3
INT
0
Players Mentioned
DB
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DL
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DB
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WR
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P
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TE
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WR
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RB
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RB
/ Football
DB
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WR
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LB
/ Football
PK
/ Football
DL
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TE
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DL
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LB
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