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Western Kentucky beats Bowling Green 59-31

By WTOP Staff

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — Brandon Doughty threw for a school-record 569 yards and six touchdowns to help Western Kentucky beat Bowling Green State 59-31 on Friday night in the head coaching debuts of Jeff Brohm and Dino Babers.

Brohm’s Hilltoppers had a school-record 702 total yards against the defending MAC champions.

“Everything went extremely well. We wanted to take care of the quarterback and get completions for him and get him confidence,” Brohm said. “(Doughty) also made scrambles and good plays outside the pocket. He definitely has improved his play.”

The Hilltoppers broke five school records in their first win as members of Conference USA.

“It was one of those games where everything seemed to go right,” Brohm said. “Our receivers made tremendous plays with the ball and you couldn’t have wrote the script any better. It’s a great start, but it’s one of 12 games. It’s a great way to start the season.”

Along with Doughty’s single-game yards, completions and touchdown marks, the 59 points were a FBS school record for most points.

“I thought we played Hilltopper football and what we’re supposed to be about this year,” Doughty said. “We really stressed the game plan this week and we came out and executed.”

Western Kentucky raced to a 21-0 lead on Leon Allen’s 2-yard run, and Doughty’s 55-yard touchdown pass to Taywan Taylor, and 34-yarder to Atwane Grant.

Taylor finished with 12 catches for 185 yards and Jared Dangerfield had 10 catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns.

Bowling Green scored in the third quarter on Andre Givens’ 3-yard run and Matt Johnson’s 41-yard pass to Ronnie Moore. Johnson completed 25 of 36 passes for 314 yards.

Doughty countered with two more scoring strikes, finding Willie McNeal for 20 yards and Dangerfield from 5 yards out.

The Western Kentucky defense, which replaced 10 lettermen from the 2013 squad, held the Falcons to 83 yards in the first quarter after forcing three three-and-outs and a turnover on downs, while the WKU offense worked flawlessly. Western Kentucky held Bowling Green to 151 rushing yards. 

The Hilltoppers matched a school-record 97 plays on offense to complement their 702 yards — without turning the ball over — while also scoring on all seven red-zone trips.

“The main thing we didn’t do last year was we turned the ball over and we didn’t execute in the red zone,” Brohm said. “If you don’t turn the ball over in my opinion, we’re going to have a chance to win in the fourth quarter.”

Travis Greene led Bowling Green with 94 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Fred Coppet followed with six carries for 65 yards and a score.

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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