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No. 6 Georgia can’t rally past No. 24 Gamecocks

By WTOP Staff

PETE IACOBELLI
AP Sports Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Todd Gurley is done looking ahead after all that cost No. 6 Georgia this week.

The star tailback had 131 yards and a touchdown, yet didn’t have the ball at the most crucial moments as the Bulldogs fell to No. 24 South Carolina 38-35 on Saturday night.

Gurley couldn’t help but listen the past two weeks to those awarding the Bulldogs (1-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) the league’s Eastern Division and him the Heisman Trophy after his four-TD showing to beat Clemson to start the season.

But South Carolina’s defense and his own team’s mistakes — both on the field and in the coaching box — limited his effectiveness just enough. The junior’s not falling into the trap again, locking solely on his next opponent in Troy and not Georgia’s chances in the SEC.

“Right now, I’m not focusing on the East, I’m focusing on Troy,” he said. “I don’t care what South Carolina does, I don’t care about nothing else but Troy right now. The East doesn’t mean anything to me right now.”

It might’ve had Gurley gotten the ball on Georgia’s last best chance, a first-and-goal at the Gamecocks 4 set up by Damian Swann’s fourth-quarter interception with 5:24 left.

On first down, instead of handing off to Gurley, Nick Chubb, Keith Marshall or anyone else, Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason looked to pass, was chased down by Gerald Dixon and was called for intentional grounding to set the Bulldogs 10 yards back.

Defensive tackle J.T. Surratt tipped up Mason’s third-down pass and the usually dependable Marshall Morgan was wide right on a 28-yard tying field goal as the rain poured down on Williams-Brice Stadium.

“It was close but didn’t go in,” said Marshall, who earlier in the game hit his SEC-record 20th straight field goal. “We probably had a chance to stop them again but didn’t end up that way.”

As the Gamecocks did a week ago against East Carolina, they used their run game to chew up the clock in the fourth quarter and beat Georgia for the fourth time in five years.

Georgia coach Mark Richt thinks his club will show the resiliency of South Carolina — the Gamecock were embarrassed 52-28 by No. 7 Texas A&M on Aug. 28 — and bounce back.

“You can’t just go in the tank and quit. What did South Carolina do when they got beat? They got better and beat East Carolina,” Richt said.

South Carolina (2-1, 1-1) got three TD passes from Dylan Thompson to build an 11-point halftime lead and stay in front of the Bulldogs.

“It was the best feeling I’ve had for a long time,” Surratt said. “We knew we had to buck up and make a stop.”

Gamecocks defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward knew his defense couldn’t be as awful as it looked in the season opener when it surrendered a school-record 680 yards to the Aggies.

He saw that improvement this time out with the clinching strong stand, although he sounded like most Georgia fans wondering why Gurley didn’t get the ball right away in the series.

“I thought they’d try and get a ball to Gurley,” Ward said. “They didn’t.”

Richt acknowledged as much when asked about the sequence.

“If I had to do it again, I’d have hammered it,” he said.

Instead, the Bulldogs lost for the fourth time in five years to Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks.

“Like I said last week, some wins are better than others,” Spurrier said with a smile.

The victory was Spurrier’s 201st as an SEC coach, tying him for second all-time with Georgia great Vince Dooley. More importantly, it put the Gamecocks right back in the SEC East race.

Gamecock players, bashed by fans and commentators since falling to Texas A&M, sprinted to the student section to celebrate their fourth victory in their last five meetings with Georgia.

The win also made Spurrier 16-6 in his career against the Bulldogs and moved him past Auburn’s Shug Jordan for most victories all-time vs. Georgia, something the head ball coach made sure to mention to his players in the locker room.

“We got a whole bunch of them at Florida,” Spurrier said. “But to get five of them at South Carolina, that’s something. I think I may be the winningest coach against Georgia here at South Carolina.”

Gurley also had a 54-yard TD run wiped out because of holding on sophomore guard Brandon Kublanow.

Georgia closed to three points one last time on Quayvon Hicks’ 1-yard scoring run with 7:10 left.

The game was delayed nearly 90 minutes because of lightning and severe weather.

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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