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No. 12 LSU overwhelms Sam Houston State, 56-0

By WTOP Staff

BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Anthony Jennings to Travin Dural. Get used to it.

The combination produced three first-half touchdowns — including a 94-yarder on LSU’s first offensive play — and the 12th-ranked Tigers overwhelmed Sam Houston State 56-0 on Saturday night.

“We have a lot of chemistry,” Dural said. “He knows how I run my routes and I know how he throws the ball. So all that extra work we’ve put in is showing.”

Highly-hyped freshman running back Leonard Fournette also got into the act with his first long run, a 40-yarder that set up his first TD on a 4-yard run. But LSU coach Les Miles appeared miffed that Fournette chose to punctuate his maiden scoring run with a Heisman Trophy-like pose. So that celebration may be a thing of the past, even if Fournette is only starting to showcase his potential as a ball carrier.

“It is a little premature to launch a Heisman candidacy,” Miles said. “He needs to realize, too, that this is a team.

“There were a lot of guys blocking for that run,” Miles added. “We will make that point to him. He’s fine. I would much rather have an enthusiastic well-felt guy with energy that maybe is a little full of himself, but that is not all bad, either.”

Offensive lineman Evan Washington appreciated Miles’ sentiment, but wasn’t that bothered by Fournette’s enthusiasm, either.

“I’m not mad at him for doing it if he thinks he has the talent to do it. I think he has the talent to do it,” Washington said. “He got caught up in his first touchdown and his emotions probably got the best of him.”

If anyone on LSU’s offense was going to strike such a pose, it probably should have been Dural, who scored on all three of his receptions, which totaled 140 yards. His second and third touchdown receptions went for 28 and 18 yards, helping LSU (2-0) build a 35-0 halftime lead over the Bearkats (1-2) of the second-tier Football Championship Subdivision.

“It was our boys against their men,” Sam Houston State coach K.C. Keeler said, adding that he was pleased his team still played hard even when it would have been easy to check out mentally.

“I mean, you’re embarrassed. It’s 30-plus to nothing and you’re getting handled on national television,” Keeler said.

Dural, who had two TDs all of last season as a redshirt freshman, already has twice as many through the first two games of 2014.

A week earlier, Dural highlighted a three-catch, 151-yard outing against Wisconsin with an 80-yard TD from Jennings.

“Just putting the ball up there, knowing he’s going to come down with it is a great confidence boost for me,” Jennings said. Jennings attempted only 13 passes against Sam Houston, completing seven for 188 yards without an interception.

Jennings’ confidence in Dural can be traced back to the 2013 regular season finale against Arkansas, when Jennings was forced into action by an injury to Zach Mettenberger. Jennings, then a freshman, led the Tigers to a late comeback victory by finding Dural for a 49-yard score.

Their chemistry has only grown since, and is a reason Jennings has distinguished himself as the Tigers’ No. 1 quarterback over freshman Brandon Harris, who appears to have a stronger arm and be more of a threat running out of the read-option.

Harris demonstrated his prowess as a runner when he temporarily replaced Jennings in the second quarter, spinning away from tacklers during a 46-yard touchdown run. Harris returned in the second half and registered his first completion — a 22-yarder to John Diarse — followed by his first touchdown pass on a fade to fellow freshman Malachi Dupre.

LSU improved to 10-0 against FCS foes. But Miles had cautioned his players not to look past a Bearkats squad that came in averaging 613.5 yards and 43 points through its first two games.

Apparently, the Tigers took Miles’ warning to heart. The Bearkats hadn’t been held scoreless in a single quarter before being blanked by LSU, which registered seven sacks and produced three turnovers.

LSU outgained Sam Houston 584 yards to 206.

Freshman running back Darrel Williams added a short touchdown for LSU, as did running back Kenny Hilliard.

Sam Houston’s Jared Johnson completed only 8 of 25 passes for 142 yards and threw two interceptions, the second one picked off at the LSU 2 by Rickey Jefferson, younger brother for former Tigers QB Jordan Jefferson.

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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