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No. 20 Missouri tops Central Florida 38-10

By WTOP Staff

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Maty Mauk says he likes to think aggressively on the field.

For another week, it paid off.

Missouri’s sophomore quarterback threw four touchdown passes — two each to Jimmie Hunt and Bud Sasser — and passed for 144 yards to lead the 20th-ranked Tigers past Central Florida 38-10 on Saturday.

“Wait until he gets good,” coach Gary Pinkel said. “There are a lot of things out there that he can do to improve and he knows that. He’s a great, gamey player, but he can get considerably better.”

Mauk entered the day tied for first nationally with eight passing touchdowns but tossed two interceptions last week at Toledo, tying his season total from last year.

Making only his seventh career start this week, the sophomore knows that sometimes his decision-making can be to the Tigers’ detriment.

His thinking proved prescient when Central Florida cornerback Jacoby Glenn, a freshman All-American last season, intercepted him with 2½ minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Five minutes later, quarterback Justin Holman threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to running back William Stanback to give the Knights a 10-7 lead.

“We just needed to make sure we kept a cage on him,” Central Florida linebacker Troy Gray said. “He got out of the pocket, and when he gets to running he’s a good runner.”

Missouri’s first deficit of the season only lasted one drive, though, as Mauk saw Hunt outpacing safety Drico Johnson and then threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to him in the end zone. Hunt finished with two receptions for 21 yards, and four of his past six catches have resulted in scores.

“That’s God-given talent he has to be able to make a mistake and get over it within five to 10 seconds,” said Sasser, who finished with five receptions for 57 yards.

Missouri (3-0) took a 14-10 advantage into halftime before clamping down on defense, getting five sacks and forcing four turnovers after the break. Defensive ends Markus Golden and Shane Ray combined for 3½ sacks and five tackles for loss.

“Each week me and Marcus just go out and try to play to the best of our abilities, make as many plays as we can,” Ray said. “It doesn’t really matter if Marcus is in the spotlight or I’m in the spotlight as long as we are doing what we are supposed to do as a defense.”

Missouri outgained Central Florida 322-299, but limited the Knights (0-2) to 7 of 15 on third-down conversions. Coach George O’Leary credited pressure from Golden and Ray for many of his team’s stalled drives.

Central Florida matched Missouri in the first half thanks to Holman, making his first career start after throwing for one touchdown and running for two more off the bench in the team’s season-opening 26-24 loss to Penn State on Aug. 30 in Ireland.

The sophomore completed 10 of 13 passes for 97 yards and adding another 30 on the ground before the break, hoping to extend the team’s winning streak against ranked opponents to three games.

But he struggled in the second half. Holman threw two interceptions, including one to Josh Augusta with 3½ minutes left in the third quarter after the nose guard batted the ball at the line of scrimmage and then jumped to corral it. The play extended the Tigers’ nation-best takeaway streak to 47 games.

Sasser scored four plays later on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Mauk to extend Missouri’s lead to 21-10. The Tigers then pounced for 17 unanswered points in the final quarter.

“You need a guy that big to make sure he made a play, but what great hands,” Pinkel said. “It’s one of those things where you don’t know when those plays are going to happen, but you keep battling and it really changed the whole game.”

Holman finished with 209 yards on 22-of-36 passing, and Central Florida fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2005.

“They had some pressure, but it’s on me to get the ball out,” said Holman, who backed up Blake Bortles last year.

“That’s my job as a quarterback — stay in no matter what the pressure is back there and throw strikes.”

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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