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Army loses 35-0 at No. 15 Stanford

By WTOP Staff

ANTONIO GONZALEZ
AP Sports Writer

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — New Army coach Jeff Monken refused to settle for a moral victory.

With the Black Knights facing fourth-and-1 from the 2-yard line in the final minutes, he chose not to kick a field goal.

Instead, he called timeout and turned to the triple-option with quarterback A.J. Schurr.

Unfortunately for Army, the play ended like so many others: stuffed by Stanford.

Schurr finished with 65 yards on six carries, and Larry Dixon ran for 60 yards as the 15th-ranked Cardinal blanked Army 35-0 on Saturday.

“The last play of the game was a perfect example. It was a good play, but we can’t block them,” Monken said. “They knocked us back. That happened too often.”

Army (1-1) ran for 341 yards and seven touchdowns in a 47-39 victory against Buffalo in its opener, but couldn’t crack the Cardinal’s physical defense.

Stanford outgained Army 415 to 207 yards. The Black Knights completed 3 of 5 passes for just 9 yards, which made sure the Cardinal didn’t back off the line of scrimmage against the triple-option offense. Army held the ball for more than 33 minutes.

“That’s a great team over there and we didn’t rise to the occasion,” Dixon said.

Kevin Hogan threw for 216 yards and four touchdowns as Stanford (2-1) rebounded from a frustrating loss to Southern California last week.

Devon Cajuste caught a career-high three touchdowns and finished with 52 yards receiving, and Ty Montgomery had two TDs to help the Cardinal overcome a sluggish start on offense. Stanford led 14-0 at the half before overwhelming the Black Knights in the final two quarters.

It was the second shutout for Stanford’s defense in three games. The Cardinal beat UC Davis 45-0 to open the season before losing 13-10 to USC last week.

“I feel we’re in a great spot right now,” Stanford linebacker Blake Martinez said. “Obviously, there’s going to be mistakes that we made today that we’re trying to get corrected. We’re jelling pretty well.”

Army’s unusual offensive 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.

But Stanford had few problems defending Army’s triple-option this time. Instead, it was the offense that looked out of rhythm at the start.

Stanford punted on four of its first six possessions. Montgomery fumbled a punt return that the Black Knights recovered in the second quarter, and Stanford had a touchdown wiped away for the second straight week when David Bright was called for holding on Kelsey Young’s TD run.

The defense gave Stanford’s stagnant offense a jolt just before the half. Alex Carter jarred the ball loose from Dixon, and Kevin Anderson recovered at the Army 15-yard line.

Three plays later, Cajuste caught his second touchdown pass from Hogan — a short fade in the corner of the end zone — to give the Cardinal a 14-0 lead.

Stanford put together a nine-play, 98-yard TD drive on its first drive of the second half that ended with another catch by Cajuste.

Stanford stopped Army’s fake punt on the next possession to set up Montgomery’s 4-yard touchdown run, and the Cardinal’s do-it-all playmaker caught a 32-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter.

The Cardinal improved to 8-0 after losses under Shaw and haven’t dropped consecutive games since 2009. Stanford’s next game is at Washington on Sept. 27.

Army has a quick turnaround to regroup. The Black Knights play at Wake Forest on Sept. 20.

“We’re not going to win a lot of football games unless we play close to perfect in terms of assignments,” Monken said. “That’s just the kind of team we are.

“When you’re not as big as the other team and you’re not as fast or physically talented as other teams, then you either got to play harder, be tougher, play with better assignments, better fundamentals. For all of us, we’ve got to do all of those things, and we didn’t do it today.”

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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