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No. 5 Auburn overwhelms San Jose State 59-13

By WTOP Staff

CHARLES ODUM
AP Sports Writer

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — With Tre Mason beginning his NFL career, Cameron Artis-Payne is thriving in his new role as Auburn’s go-to running back.

Artis-Payne ran for three touchdowns, all in the first half, and No. 5 Auburn used a dominant ground game to beat San Jose State 59-13 on Saturday night.

Auburn (2-0) had six touchdowns and 358 yards on the ground. Artis-Payne, who had 112 yards rushing, said he is “more comfortable knowing that I’m going to be in the game and not having to worry about playing time.”

It was his first career game with more than one touchdown for the Tigers. Last season, Artis-Payne competed for carries behind Mason, who was one of six Heisman finalists before being drafted by the Rams.

Artis-Payne ran for 177 yards with a touchdown in Auburn’s 45-21 season-opening win over Arkansas.

Quarterback Nick Marshall, making his first start of the season, ran for 103 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown on his final drive late in the third quarter.

Blake Jurich threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Ervin in the opening quarter but had two first-half interceptions for San Jose State (1-1). Jurich left the game in the fourth quarter and had X-rays on his left arm following the game.

“He wanted to go in even after the injury,” said San Jose State coach Ron Caragher. “We’ll see what the X-rays say.”

Caragher was upbeat after the game.

“There are some encouraging things we can learn from and go back and watch,” Caragher said. “But all in all, that’s a good football team and when you play them you just have to play good, flawless football. It got away from us a little bit.”

Quan Bray scored on a 55- yard punt return as Auburn led 38-10 at halftime.

Marshall completed 10 of 19 passes for 101 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Marshall and most starters were held out in the final quarter.

Marshall, suspended for the first half of last week’s win over Arkansas, lost a fumble to end his first opening drive of the season as a starter. Marshall broke a tackle on a 49-yard gain before fumbling into the end zone. Jimmy Pruitt forced the fumble and safety Simon Connette recovered for a touchback.

“It was tough because that was something we work on all week with ball security,” Marshall said. “At the last minute I was about to get ready to celebrate and the dude came behind me and just punched it out.”

Marshall made up for the turnover on Auburn’s second drive. His 27-yard pass to D’haquille Williams set up a 4-yard scoring pass to Ricardo Louis.

Artis-Payne dominated the remainder of the half, which included his scoring runs of 2, 5 and 1 yards.

Jeremy Johnson took over at quarterback for the Tigers in the fourth quarter and had a 1-yard scoring run. A fumbled snap on an attempted punt by San Jose State set up Auburn’s sixth rushing touchdown — a 3-yard run by Roc Thomas.

San Jose State closed its 2013 season by beating No. 16 Fresno State 62-52. The Spartans were 31-point underdogs against Auburn and couldn’t come close in their attempt for their first back-to-back wins over ranked teams.

Jurich completed 16 of 27 passes for 218 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Joe Gray took over at quarterback with about 10 minutes remaining and had a pass intercepted near the goal line late in the game.

The Spartans couldn’t score after Jurich’s 42-yard pass to Jourdan Soares set up a first down at the 6 in the third quarter. Austin Lopez, who kicked a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter, was wide left from 29 yards to end the drive. Lopez made a 24-yarder later in the third quarter.

Auburn extended its school record with its 12th consecutive game scoring at least 30 points.

Former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville received a loud ovation in a pregame ceremony honoring the Tigers’ 2004 undefeated SEC championship team. Tuberville is now Cincinnati’s coach. His son, Tucker, is a walk-on quarterback with the Tigers.

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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