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No. 13 Stanford falls to No. 14 USC, 13-10

By WTOP Staff

ANTONIO GONZALEZ
AP Sports Writer

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Stanford has prided itself on keeping mistakes to a minimum while winning the past two Pac-12 championships and becoming a surprising college football powerhouse.

In the first big test this season, everything the Cardinal count on evaporated.

Two turnovers, two missed fields and eight penalties highlighted No. 13 Stanford’s 13-10 loss to No. 14 Southern California on Saturday in the conference opener for both teams.

“You got to make field goals. You got to take advantage of field position. We just did not,” Cardinal coach David Shaw said.

Andre Heidari kicked a career-long 53-yard field goal with 2:30 remaining and J.R. Tavai forced a fumble in the final minute to end the Cardinal’s comeback bid.

A game that featured an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on USC coach Steve Sarkisian for standing too close to the field, linebacker Hayes Pullard getting ejected for targeting and athletic director Pat Haden yelling at officials in a weird and wild sideline scene ended with the Trojans making all the big plays on the field in the closing moments.

With Stanford threatening to tie or take the lead, Tavai came from Kevin Hogan’s blindside to jar the ball loose. Scott Felix recovered at the Trojans’ 26-yard-line with 19 seconds to play, sealing Sarkisian’s first major victory at USC (2-0, 1-0) and dealing a major blow to the Cardinal’s chances of a conference three-peat.

“Not happy about it,” Stanford linebacker A.J. Tarpley said. “Proud and happy the way our defense played, but it’s no surprise for us. The guys in our locker room, we know who we have. We know what we have is all we need.”

Javorius Allen ran for a career-high 154 yards, Nelson Agholor had a career-high nine receptions for 91 yards and Justin Davis ran for a short touchdown to help USC create just enough offense to win at Stanford Stadium for the first time since 2008.

The Trojans had gained 701 yards while running a conference-record 105 plays in a 52-13 win over Fresno State last week. But Stanford (1-1, 0-1) slowed down Cody Kessler and USC’s up-tempo offense most of the afternoon, holding the Trojans to 59 plays.

Stanford outgained USC 413 to 291 yards but couldn’t overcome its own mistakes. Jordan Williamson missed field goals of 49 and 26 yards and made one from 33 for the Cardinal, whose 17-game home winning streak — which was the longest active streak in the country — came to an end.

“I hate losing. Period,” safety Jordan Richards said.

Sarkisian sent his offense on the field for a fourth-and-5 from the 35-yard line before calling a timeout to go for a field goal at the end of USC’s final drive. Heidari then made the kick from 53 yards, turned around and gestured at the Trojans faithful in the far corner of the crowd to roar.

Heidari had kicked a 47-yard field goal with 19 seconds to play in USC’s 20-17 win over the Cardinal last year in Los Angeles.

“I trusted myself, I trusted the ball, the holder, the snapper. I’m glad I had the opportunity to do what I did last year,” he said.

Stanford still had one last chance to avoid another painful memory.

Hogan completed 22 of 30 passes for 285 yards and put the Cardinal in position to come back before Tavai sprinted from his blindside and forced the fumble to cap an emotional day on the USC sideline.

Pullard was ejected after his hit near the head of Stanford’s Ty Montgomery at the end of a punt return in the third quarter, and Haden was caught by television cameras disputing with officials on the sideline before the fourth quarter.

Haden, who is slated to serve on the new College Football Playoff selection committee the next two years, said somebody from compliance sent him a text message to come down and calm the situation at Sarkisian’s request. He said the incident wasn’t a big deal.

All the theatrics aside, it was the plays on the field that led the Trojans to victory.

USC stuffed Stanford fullback Daniel Marx on fourth-and-1 from the 3-yard line, and Heidari finished off USC’s next drive with a tying 35-yard field goal late in the third quarter.

Hogan had a 28-yard TD pass to Austin Hooper wiped away by a 15-yard penalty on Remound Wright for an illegal block in the back in the fourth quarter. The Cardinal punted from USC’s 32 instead of trying a long field goal.

Fullback Patrick Skov, brother of former standout middle linebacker Shayne Skov, bulldozed through the line from 2 yards out for the first touchdown of his career — and the only one Stanford scored — in the second quarter.

“The charge is to our guys, our coaches and players, to be better,” Shaw said. “Not to scrap what we’ve done, not at all, but to be better than we were today. We have a lot of good football teams coming down the road that we got to try to find a way to beat.”

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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