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Sims leads No. 3 Alabama past Southern Miss, 52-12

By WTOP Staff

JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Blake Sims passed, ran and confidently staked his claim as the leader of No. 3 Alabama’s offense.

Sims threw for two touchdowns and rushed for a third in three quarters and emerged as the Crimson Tide’s undisputed starting quarterback — for now, at least — in a 52-12 victory over Southern Miss on Saturday night.

“I didn’t feel real comfortable with the way the game was going, and it just didn’t feel right to make a change,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “Do we want to continue to play both quarterbacks and try to develop both guys? Absolutely.

“Jake (Coker) needs to play and he needs to develop confidence. I think we’re going to have to make a decision on a week-to-week basis on what gives us the best opportunity to win. Right now, Blake probably is a little more confident. If that remains that way, he’s probably going to start the game. He’s started every game so far.”

Sims was 12-of-17 passing for 168 yards for the Crimson Tide (3-0) ahead of the team’s Southeastern Conference opener against Florida. Coker didn’t come in until late in the third quarter against the Golden Eagles (1-2), who have lost 25 of their last 27 games.

“Everybody knows their time to step up because you get that feeling,” Sims said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, if you’ve got to step up, you step up at the time.”

Most of Sims’ completions went to the nation’s leading receiver, Amari Cooper. Cooper had eight catches for 135 yards and a touchdown to tie DJ Hall’s school record of five consecutive 100-yard games set in 2006. Kenyan Drake scored three touchdowns and produced 59 yards on nine rushes.

Sims also ran five times for 46 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown. Coker did open by leading Alabama on a 99-yard scoring drive.

“Obviously, Blake is our starting quarterback right now,” Cooper said. “He’s playing more than Coker’s playing, and he’s playing well. Both of them are playing well.”

Nick Mullens completed 19 of 35 passes for 207 yards to lead Southern Miss.

Corey Acosta had field goals of 33, 43, 37 and 30 yards to account for all the points by Southern Miss.

Alabama outgained the Golden Eagles 547-263 in total yards, allowing just 56 rushing yards. The Tide ran for 333 yards, led by Derrick Henry’s 11 carries for 73 yards.

“It’s hard to run against them,” Southern Miss coach Todd Monken said. “They’ve got big guys up front. It’s hard to push those guys around.”

Cooper accounted for 108 of Sims’ 123 passing yards in the first half. He moved past Ozzie Newsome into the Tide’s No. 3 spot for career receiving yards.

Coker got into the game with 2:10 left in the third quarter with Alabama at the 1. He completed all three of his attempts for 36 yards before Drake scampered 29 yards for his third touchdown and a 42-9 lead.

Coker finished 5-of-7 passing for 46 yards. His third-down sack forced Alabama to settle for a 30-yard Adam Griffith field goal.

The Florida State transfer and Sims had battled through preseason camp and split time in a rout of Florida Atlantic. Sims played all but the final minutes of the opening win against West Virginia and didn’t leave this one until it was well in hand either.

Southern Miss scored field goals on its first and last drive of the opening half, but managed just 4 yards in the second quarter.

Two of Acosta’s kicks were set up by Alabama mistakes.

Tyler Sarrazin’s punt bounced off Alabama’s Tyren Jones, giving the Golden Eagles the ball at the 29.

They couldn’t get anywhere but Acosta got them three points, and he added the 37-yarder in the third quarter on a drive kept alive by safety Nick Perry’s targeting flag on a third-down incompletion.

Perry will miss the first half of the Florida game. He posted an apology to Alabama fans on his Twitter page before the quarter was done, saying that “My boys will take care of business.”

“I don’t question the call that was made against Nick Perry,” Saban said. “I don’t think he did it intentionally but was it helmet-to-helmet? It probably was. I was standing right in front of it.”

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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