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Jackson, Fajardo help Nevada beat Wash. St. 24-13

By WTOP Staff

SCOTT SONNER
Associated Press

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Brock Hekking says there was only one reason Nevada’s “blue-collar” defense was so effective against Washington State’s high-powered offense.

“Honestly, because we wanted it more,” Hekking said after the Wolf Pack beat the Cougars 24-13 Friday night for just their third victory over a Pac-12 team in the past 10 years.

“You look at a Pac-12 opponent — they’ve got all the bells and whistles, the nice uniforms and all that. We are just blue-collar guys,” the senior defensive end said. “But our senior class has made it a point to love the game of football and every single chance we have, to leave it out on the field and empty in the tank.”

Freshman Don Jackson ran for two touchdowns, and Cody Fajardo passed for 110 yards and ran for another 100 to join Colin Kaepernick as one of only three players in school history to surpass 10,000 career yards of total offense for Nevada (2-0).

Connor Halliday passed for 389 yards but only one touchdown and was intercepted twice for the Cougars (0-2). In two games, he’s completed 78 of 113 passes for 921 yards, but doesn’t have a win to show for it after dropping the opener to Rutgers, 41-38.

“We have plenty of yards, plenty of plays, but we can’t put it together,” Washington State coach Mike Leach said. “We have an inclination to make a good play, then relax. … Our offense played reasonable last week and the defense relaxes all day. The defense plays well this week and the offense will get a play or two, then relax. Nobody can beat anybody on one side of the ball.”

The Wolf Pack held Washington State to 38 yards rushing on 18 carries and sacked Halliday four times. They beat Washington in 2003 but had won only two other games against the Pac-12 since then — both Cal, in 2010 and 2012

Fajardo, who completed 12 of 21 pass attempts and averaged 6.2 yards rushing on 16 carries, said the Wolf Pack were able to run the ball because of the strong defensive play that kept his offense from feeling pressure to put up points.

“When you hold a team like Washington State to 13 points, the confidence is through the roof. We understand we just have to move the ball. We never felt like we had to score every time we had the ball,” Fajardo said.

Nevada never trailed after freshman Kendall Jackson returned an interception 45 yards to set up Don Jackson’s 1-yard score late in the first quarter. Jackson also ran 2 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter and finished with 69 yards rushing.

Nevada opened a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter when James Butler scored from the 1 after Fajardo got loose on a keeper up the middle for 55 yards.

“Cody’s run was a big shot in the arm,” Nevada coach Brian Polian said.

Duran Workman intercepted Halliday on the next series but after that Halliday led the Cougars on their only touchdown drive, going 80 yards on five plays. The drive was capped by Halliday’s 13-yard TD pass to Vince Mayle to cut the lead to 14-7 midway through the second quarter.

Erik Powell’s 25-yard field goal made it 14-10 with 1:54 left before halftime.

However, Powell missed a 37-yard attempt on WSU’s first drive of the second half and was wide right again on a 39-yard try with 2:49 left in the third quarter.

Fajardo then led Nevada on a 14-play, 79-yard drive, capped by Jackson’s 2-yard TD run to go ahead 21-10 with 12:15 left in the game.

Jamal Morrow returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards to WSU’s 40 and Halliday passed 19 yards to Vince Mayle before coach Mike Leach turned to Quentin Breshears to kick a 38-yard field goal to cut it to 21-13 with 9:32 remaining.

However, on the next series, Fajardo hit Hasaan Henderson with a 21-yard pass over the middle and Brent Zuzo made a 40-yard field goal to put Nevada ahead 24-13 with 4:25 left.

“We ran it well enough and kept them off the field,” Polian said. “I don’t care how many yards we gave up but we bowed up in the red zone and forced field goal attempts. Fortunately for us, our guy had a better night than their guy did, but sometimes you make your own luck.”

Kaepernick, now with the San Francisco 49ers, holds Nevada’s career record for total offense with 14,210 yards (2007-10). David Neill is second with 11,145 (1998-01) and Fajardo third with 10,178.

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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