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Colorado rally falls short in 38-24 loss to ASU

By WTOP Staff

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Colorado discovered it can score points against a quality Pac-12 opponent. The next step is beating one.

Taylor Kelly threw for three touchdowns and ran 50 yards for another score before leaving with a right foot injury, and No. 16 Arizona State withstood a late challenge from Colorado to beat the Buffaloes 38-24 Saturday night.

“We should have won that game, flat out,” Buffaloes quarterback Sefo Liufau said. “Too many turnovers, too many mistakes. We should have beat that team. Point blank.”

Liufau completed 31 of 46 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns but the Buffaloes could not avoid their 15th consecutive loss to a ranked team. Two of Liufau’s scoring passes went to Nelson Spruce, the last a 31-yarder to finish off the seventh 99-yard scoring drive in Colorado’s history with 8:38 remaining.

Liufau also threw two interceptions, the last one all but ended any comeback hopes for the Buffaloes.

“Really hurts. Really hurts,” Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre said. “Can’t turn the ball over but we’ve got to create turnovers on defense. We’re improving, but this really hurts.”

D.J Foster also had a big night for Arizona State (3-0, 1-0 Pac-12), running 20 times for 147 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown. He also had a 5-yard scoring catch among his four receptions for 59 yards.

Defensive back Jordan Simone had an interception and forced a fumble, and both turnovers led to touchdowns as Arizona State improved to 6-0 all-time against Colorado (1-2, 0-1).

Kelly completed 13 of 21 for 195 yards passing and he pulled off a beautiful fake on an option play, pulling the ball from Foster’s midsection and bolting up the middle past stunned Colorado defenders en route to the longest touchdown run of his career to give the Sun Devils a 21-point edge midway through the third quarter. Earlier, he had finished the opening drive of the second half with his third scoring pass, a 1-yarder to Jaelen Strong.

Kelly was apparently injured during the Sun Devils’ last drive of the third quarter and was taken to the locker room for the further evaluation. Mike Bercovici finished at quarterback for the Sun Devils and Kelly returned to watch the fourth quarter from the bench with his foot in a protective boot.

Colorado made it 38-24 after the 99-yard drive but its bid to cut the deficit further was quashed by Liufau’s second interception, this one by linebacker Christian Sam with 4:44 left.

“Made two critical errors,” Liufau said. “I put too much on the second (interception).”

Trailing 17-0 little more than a quarter into the game, Colorado pulled to within three points on a pair of second quarter touchdown passes by Liufau. Colorado’s defense then forced the Sun Devils to punt and Colorado got the ball at its 10-yard line with just under four minutes left in the second quarter.

But the Sun Devils quickly reasserted control. Simone, whose earlier interception set up an Arizona State touchdown, stripped the ball from running back Michael Adkins II and linebacker D.J. Calhoun recovered the ball at Buffaloes’ 9-yard line.

Three plays later, Kelly hit Foster in the flat and he scooted into the end zone from 5-yards out, allowing Arizona State to take a 24-14 lead at the half.

“Got to hold onto the ball there but we’ve got to stop them,” MacIntyre said. “We’ve got to make them kick a field goal and we didn’t.”

Arizona State got off to a quick start, getting a 15-yard touchdown run from Foster and a 38-yard touchdown catch from Kalen Ballage in the game’s opening minutes that was preceded by Simone’s interception.

Foster broke free on a 52-yard run setting up a 31-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez before Colorado finally got untracked as Liufau found Shay Fields for a 4-yard scoring pass and later connected with Spruce from 15 yards as the Buffaloes pulled to 17-14 with 5:39 remaining in the second quarter.

“Last year this team dominated us and today I didn’t feel at any point we were outmanned,” Spruce said. “Just a few things, turnovers. This is one we feel we could have won.”

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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