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Mistakes doom Cardinals in loss at Virginia

By WTOP Staff

HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Louisville’s fast start on offense quickly evaporated, and a gaffe on special teams was too much for the Cardinals to overcome.

No. 21 Louisville scored on its first possession, but that was its only touchdown for much of the game and a muffed punt in the fourth quarter led to Ian Frye’s decisive field goal in Virginia’s 23-21 win on Saturday.

“It was a lack of concentration by our offense,” Cardinals running back Dominique Brown said. “We can’t take anything away from them. They were out there ball-hawking, but we pretty much shot ourselves in the foot.”

The Cardinals had 4 yards in the third quarter, when Virginia scored 10 points to open a 20-7 lead. Louisville coach Bobby Petrino then reinserted Will Gardner at quarterback, and it rallied to take the lead.

The play that ultimately cost the Cardinals was James Quick’s fumbled punt that Virginia recovered at the 25, setting up Frye’s 42-yard field goal with 3:41 remaining. Three earlier turnovers didn’t help, but Petrino had a list of issues.

Louisville was 4 for 14 on third-down conversions.

“We weren’t able to make the throws, we had some guys open, and then we dropped one,” Petrino said. “It was kind of an accumulation of the entire team’s protection, throws, catches. Just a poor job by me getting them ready.”

Virginia (2-1, 1-0) ended an 11-game Atlantic Coast Conference losing streak and a 10-game skid against FBS-level competition. The Cardinals (2-1, 1-1) had won seven straight road games.

Greyson Lambert threw for a touchdown and ran for another score for Virginia, and Frye finished with three field goals. The winning points came after a teammate bumped into Quick as he fielded the punt, and Kelvin Rainey recovered for Virginia.

It was Virginia’s first victory against a ranked team since a 14-13 win at Florida State on Nov. 19, 2011.

Lambert played most of the way for Virginia, hitting Miles Gooch for a 15-yard touchdown to tie it at 7, and scoring on a 10-yard run to give the Cavaliers a 17-7 lead in the third quarter.

Frye’s 47-yard field goal made it 20-7, but then Louisville came back.

Gardner, who was pressured heavily and lifted in favor of more mobile freshman Reggie Bonnafon, returned in the fourth and led consecutive touchdown drives. He hit Keith Towbridge for 28 yards on third down, and got help from a pass interference call on linebacker Henry Coley on a third-and-8 play. Dominique Brown ran it in from the 6 to make it 20-14.

After a three-and-out for Virginia, the Cardinals put together another drive with a huge assist from the Cavaliers. On third-and-goal from the 9, Gardner had Coley and defensive end Eli Harold converging on him when he threw the ball right into the arms of linebacker Max Valles for an interception. But Coley was called for roughing.

Gardner then found Quick for a 4-yard TD pass on the next play for a 21-20 lead.

Virginia took over at its 21, reached the 39 and punted, and the turnover gave the Cavaliers another chance.

Gardner’s first interception of the season set Virginia up with a short field in the first quarter. Anthony Harris made the pick, giving the Cavaliers the ball at the 15. Three plays later, Lambert hit Gooch for the score. It gave the Cavaliers 38 points after turnovers this year; last year, they had 13.

The Cardinals took the opening kickoff and drove right down the field. Gardner had completion of 11 yards to Quick, 20 yards to Eli Rogers and 9 yards to Kai De La Cruz. The latter set up a fourth-and-1 from the Virginia 9, and Gardner hit Charles Standberry for the touchdown off a play-action fake.

___

Follow Hank on twitter at: http://twitter.com/hankkurzjr

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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