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Barrett’s 6 TD passes lead No. 22 Buckeyes, 66-0

By WTOP Staff

RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Down and disappointed, No. 22 Ohio State needed a lift.

A rout of an overmatched opponent couldn’t have come at a better time.

J.T. Barrett matched a school record with six touchdown passes — five in the first half — to lead the 22nd-ranked Buckeyes to a 66-0 victory over Kent State on Saturday.

“Where are we and do I like where we’re at?” head coach Urban Meyer repeated. “You still have a sick feeling in your stomach about last week. But we’re moving forward.”

Consider the Buckeyes officially over their 35-21 home loss to Virginia Tech a week earlier.

“We had a pretty good idea what they were going to do,” said Barrett, the redshirt freshman who stepped in when three-year starter Braxton Miller was lost for the year after shoulder surgery. “We worked on a game plan all week and it turned out pretty good for us.”

This one was over early, with the Buckeyes up 14-0 after the opening 5½ minutes, 21-0 after a quarter and 45-0 at the half.

“Some people say, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t play them,'” Meyer said of the mismatch. “I think you should play them. You can’t forecast when you make this scheduling that you’re going to have a new quarterback and a young offensive line. This is what the doctor ordered.”

The win was the 39th in a row over an in-state opponent for the Buckeyes (2-1), who haven’t lost since a 7-6 setback to Oberlin in 1921.

Kent State (0-3) got $850,000 to get pounded before a crowd of 104,404 at Ohio Stadium.

Now the Buckeyes, who plummeted 14 spots in the polls and weathered a lot of criticism after last week’s 35-21 loss at home to the Hokies, have a bye week before hosting Cincinnati on Sept. 27.

Curtis Samuel ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns and Rod Smith ran for one and also caught a TD pass for the Buckeyes, who totaled 628 yards of offense while limiting Kent State to 126.

It was the third meeting between the teams, with Ohio State winning by an average score of 55-7.

Paul Haynes, in his second season with the Golden Flashes, was an assistant at Ohio State for seven seasons. He wasn’t a bit surprised by the Buckeyes’ bounce-back.

“The expectations for them are so high that they lose one and the world falls apart,” he said. “They’re still a good team, they still have great athletes. At the end of the year, in November, they’ll probably be fighting for a championship.”

Barrett finished 23 of 30 for 312 yards with an interception. He became the first Ohio State quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards since Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith did against Michigan in 2006. His six TD passes tied the mark set a year ago by Kenny Guiton against Florida A&M.

The Golden Flashes hadn’t given up 60 points in a game since a 63-21 loss to Connecticut in 2002. The game represented Kent State’s most lopsided loss since a 56-0 defeat at Miami (Ohio) in 1998.

Colin Reardon completed 14 of 27 passes for 76 yards with three interceptions for Kent State, with Nathan Strock 1 of 7 for 3 yards.

“When we got down, we tried to keep everybody up,” said Golden Flashes safety Nate Holley. “But it’s a hard thing to do.”

Kent State wore No. 54 stickers on the side of their helmets in memory of teammate Jason Bitsko. The fourth-year junior was set to be the team’s starting center when he died unexpectedly in August.

Barrett’s scoring passes covered 14 and 63 yards to Michael Thomas, 8 yards to Rod Smith, 2 yards to Marcus Baugh, 50 yards to Devin Smith and 8 yards to Jalin Marshall.

“Time to move on,” Meyer said. “A bye week and then get ready (for Cincinnati).”

___

Follow Rusty Miller on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RustyMillerAP

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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