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Stanford’s Ty Montgomery will play vs. UC Davis

By WTOP Staff

ANTONIO GONZALEZ
AP Sports Writer

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Most of the position battles are settled, and the biggest question No. 11 Stanford had entering training camp — the status of top playmaker Ty Montgomery — has been answered.

Cardinal coach David Shaw said team doctors have medically cleared Montgomery to play in Saturday’s season opener against UC Davis. He said Montgomery will have no limitations on where or how much he plays, not even with a big home matchup against No. 15 Southern California looming next week.

Montgomery, the team’s leading wide receiver and an All-America kick returner, had surgery on his right shoulder in February after playing with the injury part of last season. He also hurt a knee in the Cardinal’s loss to Michigan State in the Rose Bowl, an injury Montgomery called “minor.”

Shaw said doctors cleared Montgomery to play Monday, which is about a week earlier than expected. He had been held out of contact drills during training camp, and while Shaw has repeatedly praised Montgomery’s abilities in practice, the team has been waiting for doctors to decide his availability for games.

“It’s what he’s been waiting for, it’s what he’s been training for,” Shaw said. “He’s just attacked the rehab in such a way that it’s gotten him back a little earlier than we anticipated, and he’s ready to go.”

Montgomery is coming off a breakout season as a junior, leading Stanford in receptions (61), yards receiving (958) and touchdown catches (10). He also had 1,091 yards and two TDs returning kicks.

Shaw said Montgomery will not return every kickoff or punt this season, and it’s likely he will not get many repetitions against UC Davis, which is expected to be a typical tuneup game for the two-time defending Pac-12 champions.

But just having Montgomery on the field before facing USC will ease the pressure on an offense that is integrating four new starters on the line and a new running back.

“I don’t think any of us doubted that Ty was going to play,” quarterback Kevin Hogan said. “He’s been looking unbelievable all camp since the first day. You didn’t notice any kind of rust at all, which is kind of scary. He’s just such a great playmaker in all aspects of the game. We can put him in the backfield, out wide and he has that ability to change the game at any point.”

The rest of Stanford’s reshuffled roster also is coming into focus. Among the remaining position battles that have been settled — or are close to being settled — entering the opener are:

RUNNING BACK: Stanford listed redshirt junior Kelsey Young as its starting running back on the depth chart. Barry Sanders, Ricky Seale and Remound Wright are all listed as No. 2. But Shaw said he will stick with a running back-by-committee approach early in the season as he has done in the past — until or unless a clear-cut carrier emerges.

“They say that I’m No. 1 on the depth chart now but that can change at any moment,” Young said. “It actually makes me even more motivated because I know that my job can be taken at any moment because there are so many guys that are really good that are in that running back room.”

LINEBACKER: Junior Blake Martinez will take over Shayne Skov’s position at inside linebacker next to fifth-year senior A.J. Tarpley, but don’t expect him to paint his face or sport a Mohawk the way Skov did. Martinez said he painted his face a couple times last year but “wasn’t feeling” the look. “That was all Shayne,” he joked.

Kevin Palma is listed as No. 2 behind Martinez, while Noor Davis is behind Tarpley. Redshirt junior Kevin Anderson also will make his first start at the outside linebacker spot vacated by Trent Murphy.

TOO CLOSE TO CALL: Blake Lueders and Aziz Shittu are listed as co-starters at one defensive end spot, and Ronnie Harris and Alex Carter — who has been an exceptional starter most of the past two seasons — will share snaps at left cornerback for now. Carter missed spring practices with a hip injury and just got cleared to practice less than two weeks ago, and Shaw said Harris has earned the starting nod for the opener based on what he did throughout the offseason.

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Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP

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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