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No. 4 Oklahoma defeats Tulsa 52-7

By WTOP Staff

CLIFF BRUNT
AP Sports Writer

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Tulsa brings out the best in Sterling Shepard.

The Oklahoma receiver set career highs in receptions and yards last year against the Golden Hurricane. This year, the budding star matched his career-best mark of eight catches and set a new career high with 177 yards receiving on Saturday to help fourth-ranked Sooners defeat the Golden Hurricane 52-7.

Shepard could have done more damage, but he and Trevor Knight failed to connect a few times.

“I had two early on that I should have pulled down, that I’m used to pulling down,” Shepard said. “Most of the time, I will. I just tried to put them in the back of my head and pull down anything else they threw to me, and that’s what I did.”

Knight’s confidence in Shepard shows when he occasionally launches risky passes that force his No. 1 option to make exceptional plays.

“Sterling does a great job of being explosive out there on the edge and beating coverage, and I just try to put it up there for him,” Knight said.

Tulsa defensive coordinator Brent Guy said the Tulsa defense had no answers.

“Sterling Shepard is a very, very good receiver, and he had us overmatched a couple of times,” Guy said. “He’s an outstanding player. We should have had double coverage on him and we didn’t. We also had some coverage mistakes.”

Knight passed for 299 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score. Alex Ross ran for 90 yards and a touchdown, Keith Ford ran for 87 yards and two scores and Blake Bell, a converted quarterback who now plays tight end, caught his first career touchdown pass for the Sooners (2-0).

It was Oklahoma’s sixth straight win overall and eighth in a row in the series against Tulsa.

“Have to give credit where credit is due,” Tulsa coach Bill Blankenship said. “Those guys in white are a very, very good football team. They were very machine-like in the way they approached it. And we didn’t do very well. You have to start the game with execution and we didn’t. Just have to put our hand to the plow and go back to work and try to win September.”

Dane Evans passed for 204 yards and Keevan Lucas caught 10 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown for the Golden Hurricane (1-1).

Oklahoma scored 57 seconds into the game on a 7-yard touchdown run by Ford. Two possessions later, Knight broke a quarterback draw up the middle for a 31-yard touchdown.

On the next possession, Knight found Bell over the middle for a 3-yard touchdown. A 38-yard field goal by Michael Hunnicutt boosted Oklahoma’s lead to 24-0.

On a third-and-goal at the Oklahoma 10, Evans fumbled in the backfield and 334-pound defensive tackle Jordan Phillips rumbled all the way back for a touchdown. The score was called back because of a personal foul, but Oklahoma retained possession. On the first play after the recovery, Ross ran 82 yards for a touchdown to make it 31-0 with 6:13 left in the second quarter.

Oklahoma rolled up 396 yards in the first half and held Tulsa to 95. The Golden Hurricane gained just seven first downs in the first half and finished with 9 yards rushing on 14 carries.

“Defensively, I am really pleased,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. “The first half couldn’t have gone much better.”

Tulsa finally scored on a 4-yard pass from Evans to Lucas, but Oklahoma quickly responded when Ford broke a 23-yard touchdown run to push Oklahoma’s lead to 38-7.

Linebacker Geneo Grissom intercepted Evans and ran it back 38 yards for a score to make it 45-7. It was Grissom’s third touchdown in his past 10 games.

Shepard finished a 99-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown catch to make it 52-7 with 14:56 remaining. He said receivers coach Jay Norvell told him to make the most of that drive.

“Coach Jay told me, ‘This is your last series, so if you want to get a touchdown, so if you’re going to get in the end zone, you’d better do it.”

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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP.

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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