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Colorado St. rallies for 31-17 win over Colorado

By WTOP Staff

PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writer

DENVER (AP) — Transfer Dee Hart rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns in his Colorado State debut to help the Rams rally for a 31-17 win over Colorado on Friday night.

Colorado State’s Treyous Jarrells finished with 121 yards, giving the Rams two 100-yard running backs in a game for the first time since 1996.

After Colorado State trailed most of the game, Garrett Grayson put the Rams on top for good with a 16-yard TD pass to Rashard Higgins early in the fourth quarter. Hart extended the lead minutes later with a 3-yard rush as the Rams beat the Buffs for a second time in three seasons.

Sefo Liufau threw for 241 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Nelson Spruce for Colorado.

Hart spent three seasons at Alabama, where he appeared in 17 games and carried the ball 43 times for 172 yards. He joined the Rams this fall as a graduate student and instantly vaulted to the top of the depth chart.

Most of the week, Colorado State coach Jim McElwain played up the underdog angle, saying the Buffs were a Pac-12 team with more resources and more talent. But the Rams were the ones coming off a bowl win last season.

They struggled early on offense under the senior leadership of Grayson, who’s coming off a season in which he threw for a school-record 3,696 yards. With the passing attack stymied, Colorado State simply turned to its running game as Hart and Jarrells battered and bounced off Buffalo defenders.

Hart’s familiar with McElwain, dating back to when the coach served as the offensive coordinator of the Crimson Tide from 2008-11.

Hart & Co. are trying to replace Kapri Bibbs, who rushed for 1,741 yards and 31 TDs last season.

Early in the second half, all the momentum appeared to be with Colorado when Grayson fumbled and Liufau capitalized by throwing his second TD pass of the night to Spruce, who made a one-handed catch.

Soon after, Jarrells made it 17-14 with 6:18 left in the third on a 3-yard run.

Spruce is taking the place of electric receiver Paul Richardson, who was drafted by Seattle. Spruce may not have Richardson’s blazing speed, but has the ability to find space and catch about anything thrown to him. That’s why Liufau called Spruce his “safety blanket.”

It’s not like Spruce doesn’t have speed, though, as he showed when he deked Colorado State cornerback DeAndre Elliott at the line of scrimmage and hauled in a 54-yard TD pass in the first quarter.

That long play caught the attention of Richardson. He wrote on his Twitter account shortly after the play “that young man is a baller.”

Former Olympic swimmer and Colorado State alum Amy Van Dyken-Rouen — along with her husband, former Colorado punter Tom Rouen — took part in the opening coin flip. Van Dyken was recently released from a Denver-area hospital to continue her rehabilitation after an all-terrain vehicle crash left her paralyzed just below the waist.

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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