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Cal needs more from its running game

By WTOP Staff

MICHAEL WAGAMAN
Associated Press

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — California quarterback Jared Goff sent multiple school passing records as a freshman in 2013. He’s looking forward to a lighter workload this year.

Coming off a season in which their running game ranked 101st nationally, the Golden Bears hope to be more balanced to alleviate pressure on the rest of the offense.

“If the run game is what we need to do to win, then that’s what I’m all for,” Goff said Tuesday as Cal prepared for its season opener at Northwestern this weekend.

Cal’s defense was largely to blame for the team’s 1-11 record in coach Sonny Dykes’ first season, but the lack of production on the ground was also at fault. The Bears didn’t have a single back run for more than 450 yards. As a team, Cal was held to fewer than 90 yards in four of its 12 games and scored just 10 touchdowns on the ground.

With no relief from the running game, Goff ended up breaking school single-season records for passing yardage (3,508), attempts (531) and completions (320).

Goff’s season was one of the best ever by a Cal freshman quarterback, but left him essentially on an island as defenses loaded up to stop Cal’s air game.

The Bears were still fairly successful throwing the ball as part of Dykes’ Air Bear offense, but still finished winless in the Pac-12.

“We put a lot of pressure on our quarterback through the year last year not being able to run the football,” Dykes said. “That’s been a huge point of emphasis for us really from the day we came back in January and started working in the weight room. We’ve done some things schematically to help ourselves out a little bit, we think.

“We just have to execute in the run game, finish blocks, play low. All the fundamental boring stuff that nobody likes to talk about but ultimately decides if you win or lose ballgames.”

With Brendan Bigelow, Cal’s starting running back for a majority of 2013, having left for the NFL after his junior season, the Bears will lean on Khalfani Muhammad and Daniel Lasco to revive the rushing game. Muhammad, a sophomore, led Cal with 445 yards and four touchdowns. A multi-threat running back, Muhammad finished with 1,638 all-purpose yards.

Lasco, a team captain this year, started one game and had 317 yards overall and a 4.7-yard average that was second to Muhammad’s 6.0 mark.

“I like the challenge,” Lasco said. “We have depth at the running back position and I feel very comfortable saying that any one of us can explode on a big play. And any one of us can pick up the short third-and-1s, third-and-2s, little itty bitty gains that we need.”

Goff joked that he would love it if the Bears rushed for “a million yards,” while Dykes said he’d be satisfied with any sort of offensive balance as long as it resulted in wins.

“If we were 80 percent run, 20 percent pass, that means you’re winning a lot of ballgames,” Dykes said. “Ideally we’d like to be able to run it 55 percent of the time. Part of it last year was we got down so fast in games, and so we have to do a better job of giving ourselves a chance. Last year we really didn’t do that.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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