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No. 15 Stanford, Army a clash of old-school styles

By WTOP Staff

ANTONIO GONZALEZ
AP Sports Writer

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — There will be few passes and even fewer surprises when Army and Stanford meet Saturday.

In an era where spread offenses are all the rage, the programs will put on a rare competition between throwback styles. The Black Knights (1-0) will stick with their signature triple-option offense, and the 15th-ranked Cardinal (1-1) will rely on the power running game and imposing defense that has led them to the past two Pac-12 championships.

“We can’t masquerade what we’re trying to do very much,” new Army coach Jeff Monken said. “We want to run the football. They know that, we know that.”

What happens in the middle is where things get tricky.

Army’s funky formation — by today’s standards, anyway — gave the Cardinal more trouble than expected at West Point last season. The Black Knights led 6-0 early and kept the game close most of the way before Stanford pulled ahead for a 34-20 victory.

Monken took over after Rich Ellerson was fired in December and has given the triple-option his own twists. He learned the offense as an assistant under Paul Johnson at Navy and Georgia Tech and carried it to Georgia Southern, where he coached the lower-tier Eagles to a stunning win at Florida last season.

Trying to upset Stanford is another matter.

“The thing I really admire about that team is their desire to be good at running the football,” Monken said. “They don’t try to be fancy. The Pac-12 is a league with a lot of fast teams like Oregon and Arizona State and they’re going 100 miles per hour, but Stanford is a tough team that plays good defense.”

The Cardinal are coming off a sloppy 13-10 home loss to Southern California — which is now ranked ninth — in a game the defense dominated. Stanford had two missed field goals, eight penalties and several red-zone blunders — all uncharacteristic for a program that prides itself on minimizing mistakes.

Stanford has shown the ability to rebound from early losses in recent years. The Cardinal haven’t dropped consecutive games since 2009.

Stanford coach David Shaw insists his team will not overlook Army, especially after last season’s contest, and he’s counting on the disciplined Black Knights to test his players’ focus.

“It’s a combination of everybody being in the right spots every single play, but also mixing up what you do,” Shaw said. “Because if you do the same thing every play, they’ll find your weakness.”

Some things to watch when Army visits Stanford:

TRIPLE-OPTION TRICKS: Army ran for 341 yards and seven touchdowns in a 47-39 victory against Buffalo last week, while Stanford’s reconstructed defense allowed 156 yards rushing to USC’s up-tempo offense. “It’s a little bit of a switch-up, but I don’t really mind it,” Stanford defensive tackle David Parry said. “We like to go against teams that run the ball a lot.”

AIR ATTACK: One-dimensional teams don’t usually fare well against Stanford. But one of the biggest reasons Army had success against Buffalo was because of the way it threw the ball. The Black Knights completed all seven of their pass attempts, which forced Buffalo’s defense to back off the line of scrimmage.

CARDINAL CARRIER: Stanford is still searching for ways to replace the production of 1,700-yard rusher Tyler Gaffney. The Cardinal ran for just 128 yards on 38 carries last week as it used five different running backs, two fullbacks and 11 scrambles from quarterback Kevin Hogan. Expect the tailback-by-committee approach to continue.

MATCHING MONTGOMERY: Stanford senior wide receiver and All-American kickoff specialist Ty Montgomery is the best athlete on the field most games, and he should give Army all it can handle this week. Montgomery ran his first punt return back 60 yards for a touchdown against UC Davis and had 205 all-purpose yards against USC while lining up at wide receiver, running back and wildcat quarterback. He also returned kickoffs and punts.

TURNOVER RATIO: Stanford has been among the leaders in turnover ratio the past few seasons, but USC won the turnover battle 2-0 last week. Army forced three interceptions against Buffalo but also lost two fumbles, which the triple-option is prone to do. Which team takes care of the ball could be crucial.

___

AP Sports Writer John Kekis contributed to this story.

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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