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Georgia offense looks to end drought in Columbia

By WTOP Staff

PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s Michael Bennett was taken aback when he heard the stat.

While the sixth-ranked Bulldogs are one of the nation’s most dynamic offensive teams, they haven’t scored more than 20 points at South Carolina in two decades.

Yep, the last time was 1994 — when Bennett was just 2 years old.

“Wow,” the senior receiver said. “I didn’t know that. Geez, that might just be a lack of focus. We’ve let the atmosphere get the best of us. I know that’s what happened in 2012.”

Two years ago, Georgia (1-0) was blown out by the Gamecocks, going down 21-0 in the first quarter on the way to a 35-7 loss. The Bulldogs still have “Sandstorm” — South Carolina’s raucous pre-game anthem — ringing in their ears as they head to Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday with hopes of claiming an early edge in the Southeastern Conference East.

“I hate that song,” linebacker Amarlo Herrera groaned.

Since their last trip to Columbia, the Bulldogs have averaged nearly 37 points a game. They’ve scored more than 40 points in 10 contests, and been held to less than 20 only a couple of times: a 17-9 victory over Florida in 2012 and a 24-19 loss to Nebraska in last year’s Gator Bowl.

But the offense always seems to bog down when the Bulldogs travel to South Carolina (1-1, 0-1 SEC), and there’s a definite sense of trepidation about that trend continuing — even though the No. 24 Gamecocks hardly look like a defensive powerhouse without Jadaveon Clowney.

South Carolina opened with a 52-28 loss to Texas A&M, giving up a staggering 680 yards. Even though the Gamecocks bounced back last week to beat East Carolina 33-23, the defense still looked a bit shaky, surrendering 453 yards and 27 first downs.

The Bulldogs started with an impressive 45-21 victory over Clemson, matching the combined scoring output of their last four trips to South Carolina.

“It’s been really tough for Georgia to score points in that stadium,” said coach Mark Richt, whose team was off last weekend. “It’s just a matter of a great atmosphere and some great defenses and Georgia just not getting it done.”

To get it done this time, the Bulldogs will likely have to be more productive through the air. They didn’t have to throw it much against Clemson, rushing for 328 yards, but South Carolina looks extremely vulnerable in the secondary. Kenny Hill put up 511 yards and three touchdowns in Texas A&M’s rout. East Carolina had 321 yards passing.

Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason was 18 of 26 for just 131 yards against Clemson. He knows the Gamecocks will likely stack the line, do their best to shut down star running back Todd Gurley, and essentially dare the Bulldogs to throw.

“We can’t be naive. Teams understand that Todd is our biggest weapon,” Mason said. “When we get those one-on-one opportunities against South Carolina, we’ve got to be able to take advantage of them. If we don’t, we may still be able to find a way to win, but I don’t really like our chances if we can’t throw the ball effectively.”

The Bulldogs are further limited by a series of injuries at receiver. Malcolm Mitchell, Justin Scott-Wesley and Jonathon Rumph are expected to miss Saturday’s game, putting more pressure on players such as former scout-teamer Kenneth Towns and freshman Isaiah McKenzie.

“We’re a little shaky,” Richt said. “We just don’t have a lot of depth right now.”

Don’t look for any sympathy from Steve Spurrier. There’s no team the South Carolina coach loves beating more than Georgia, though he doesn’t put much stock in what happened the last 20 years.

“We didn’t think A&M was going to roll up 52 on us,” Spurrier said. “Every year is a new year. We’re believing we can play a lot better, but we need to go do it on the field, and this would be a good week to show that.”

The Gamecocks aren’t totally ignoring what happened before in Columbia.

“We’re a different team with a totally different defense,” sophomore linebacker Jordan Diggs said. “But we definitely pay attention and watch the films of those previous games, try and take what we can from those games.

“This is on us,” he added. “We’re going to have to come out and play our game and hopefully come out with a result like those other teams.”

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AP Sports Writer Pete Iacobelli in Columbia, South Carolina contributed to this report.

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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

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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