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No. 21 UNC holds on to beat San Diego State, 31-27

By WTOP Staff

JOEDY McCREARY
AP Sports Writer

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Make it two rallies in two weeks for No. 21 North Carolina, which erased a two-touchdown deficit in the second half and then held on to beat San Diego State 31-27 on Saturday night after Tim Scott’s interception in the end zone with 14 seconds left.

“I think that’s a great thing — we played our best ball when we were down,” coach Larry Fedora said. “I would much rather have it that way than the other way. … We’re going to be in that situation. We know how this team’s going to respond.”

Marquise Williams threw two second-half touchdown passes and freshman Elijah Hood rushed 2 yards for the go-ahead score with 8:01 left for the Tar Heels (2-0).

Last week, they trailed Liberty of the FCS in the third quarter before taking control with a flurry of turnovers.

They escaped an even bigger hole against the Aztecs: North Carolina trailed by 14 points with less than 5 minutes left in the third quarter before scoring on four straight possessions to take a four-point lead, then came up with a timely defensive stand to earn its first 2-0 start under its third-year coach.

Quinn Kaehler threw for a career-high 341 yards with a touchdown, then led the Aztecs (1-1) to a first-and-goal from the North Carolina 3 in the final minute.

His quick pass in the end zone to Lloyd Mills was jumped by Scott for the game-sealing interception.

“When the receivers saw that we were (pressing them), they communicated to each other for a pick,” Scott said. Mills “ran a wheel route and he was running out of end zone, so I decided to look at the quarterback and he threw it (to Mills’) back shoulder.”

Kaehler was picked off three times: the first was returned for a touchdown, the second set up a late field goal and the third effectively ended the game.

“It’s always disappointing when your quarterback throws interceptions,” San Diego State coach Rocky Long said. “But Quinn is a competitor. He’s trying to make a play to win the game.”

Kaehler finished with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Eric Judge, and Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 100 yards with scoring runs of 12 and 3 yards for San Diego State, which led 21-7 late in the third quarter before Williams and the North Carolina offense finally started clicking.

Williams threw TDs covering 91 yards to Mack Hollins — the third-longest TD pass in school history — and 11 yards to Quinshad Davis. Brian Walker picked off two passes, returning the first one 100 yards for an early touchdown.

After Danny Hageman’s second field goal of the fourth quarter, a 40-yarder with 10:30 to play, made it 27-21, the Tar Heels went 80 yards in eight plays and reclaimed the lead for good. Hood’s first career touchdown run made it 28-27 — their first lead since early in the second quarter.

Walker then picked off Kaehler’s pass and took it 26 yards to the San Diego State 14. That set up Nick Welier’s 23-yard field goal with 4 minutes left that forced San Diego State to go for the end zone on its final possession.

The Aztecs certainly appeared on their way to a rare Eastern victory after Pumphrey put them up by two touchdowns with his scoring run on the opening drive of the second half.

That turned out to be the wake-up call the Tar Heels needed, with Williams throwing for TDs on consecutive possessions to get North Carolina back in the game.

The first came on a short fade pattern in the end zone to Davis.

The second was spectacular.

One play after San Diego State pushed its lead back into double figures, the Tar Heels went deep: Hollins slipped behind cornerback J.J. Whittaker near midfield and pulled in Williams’ pass in stride on his way to the longest pass play by a Tar Heel in the history of Kenan Stadium.

It wasn’t even the longest play of the day.

That belonged to Walker, who picked off Kaehler’s overthrown pass about a yard deep in the end zone and took off down the right side for the game’s first touchdown.

“It was really an amazing night for him,” Fedora said.

He was one of the four players who were suspended for the Liberty game for what Fedora called a violation of team policy. The violation was undisclosed though those suspensions came a day after a Yahoo Sports report of an alleged hazing altercation that left a freshman walk-on receiver with a possible concussion.

Walker was not made available to the media after the game. Team spokesman Kevin Best called it a coach’s decision.

___

Follow Joedy McCreary on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joedyap

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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