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College Football Today

By WTOP Staff

The Associated Press

STARS

–J.T. Barrett, Ohio State, matched a school record with six touchdown passes — five in the first half — and threw for 312 yards to lead the 22nd-ranked Buckeyes to a 66-0 victory over Kent State.

–Clint Trickett, West Virginia, passed for 511 yards and four TDs in the Mountaineers’ 40-37 victory over Maryland.

–Shaun Wilson, Duke, rushed for a school-record 245 yards with three long TDs as the Blue Devils routed Kansas 41-3.

–Marcus Mariota, Oregon, passed for 221 yards and two TDs and ran for two more scores, helping the second-ranked Ducks survive a slow start to beat Wyoming 48-14.

–Shaq Thompson, Washington, returned an interception 36 yards for a TD and had a 52-yard fumble recovery for another score — a first for the Huskies since at least 1978 — in a 44-19 rout over Illinois.

–Maty Mauk, Missouri, threw four TD pass to lead the No. 20 Tigers past Central Florida 38-10.

–Kevin Hogan, Stanford, threw for 216 yards and four TDs to help the No. 15 Cardinal rebound from a loss to Southern California with a 35-0 win over Army.

–Jonathan Williams, Arkansas, ran for 145 yards and four TDs to lead the Razorbacks past Texas Tech, 49-28.

–James Knapke, Bowling Green, threw for 395 yards and three touchdowns while setting school records for attempts (73) and completed passes (46) in a 45-42 win over Indiana.

–Phillip Dorsett, Miami, had 201 receiving yards and two TDs on four catches in a 41-20 win over Arkansas State.

–Garrett Grayson, Colorado State, threw four TD passes in the first half and finished with 425 yards in a 49-21 win over UC Davis.

–Dak Prescott, Mississippi State, rushed, threw and caught a touchdown pass for the second time in his career in a 35-3 win over South Alabama.

–D.J. Vinson, UAB, ran for a career-high five touchdowns in a 41-14 victory over Alabama A&M.

–De’Angelo Henderson, Coastal Carolina, ran for 172 yards and two TDs in a 30-3 victory over South Carolina State.

–Xavier Finney, Idaho State, ran for a career-high 158 yards and two TDs in a 39-34 win over Chadron State.

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BUCKEYE BOUNCEBACK

Ohio State has officially moved on from its painful loss to Virginia Tech.

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.

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.

Nick Holley had six receptions for Kent State (0-3), which 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 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.

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NUMBERS

11_Game losing streak snapped by Virginia with a 23-21 victory over No. 21 Louisville.

20_Straight field goals by Georgia’s Marshall Morgan to break the SEC record set by Tennessee’s Fuad Reveiz in 1984.

201_Career SEC victories for South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier, tying him for second Georgia’s Vince Dooley.

544_Rushing yards by Pitt’s James Conner, breaking Tony Dorsett’s school record for most rushing yards in the first three games of a season set in 1973.

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HUNDLEY HURT

UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley hurt his left arm and left in the first quarter of the 12th-ranked Bruins’ game against Texas.

Hundley was hurt at the end of an 11-yard run to convert a third-and-9 for UCLA with just under 5 minutes left in the first quarter.

As he was being tackled, Hundley put his left arm down and appeared to land awkwardly on it. The quarterback initially got up and started walking toward the sideline, before stopping short and sitting on the ground, prompting an injury timeout.

UCLA trainers appeared to be working on Hundley’s elbow. He stayed on the bench for a while before walking off the field toward the locker room with a trainer.

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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