Skip to main content

No. 11 Notre Dame holds off Purdue for 30-14 win

By WTOP Staff

MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Purdue coach Darrell Hazell found out how well his team can play Saturday night.

His next job: Making sure they play with the same intensity and passion for the next nine games.

Everett Golson ran for the go-ahead score with 13 seconds left in the first half, and No. 11 Notre Dame scored the final 20 points Saturday to pull away from the Boilermakers 30-14.

“I think the biggest thing you learn about your football team after that performance is that they can set the standard for how hard they play,” Hazell said. “I felt they came out and played. There is no going back and not playing at (Saturday’s) intensity level. We’ll watch the film and see that that’s accurate. But there’s no question that the energy level was terrific.”

The Boilermakers (1-2) have traditionally played their best games of the season against in-state rivals Notre Dame and Indiana.

Saturday’s performance was a dramatic turnaround from the dismal showing a week earlier in a loss to Central Michigan.

Danny Etling wasn’t perfect, but he was effective. He went 27 of 40 for 234 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions after holding onto the starting job this week. The defense that struggled to make tackles last week came up with four sacks against Golson, forced Notre Dame’s first turnover of the season and spent most of the first three quarters keeping the Irish offense under control.

It wasn’t quite enough to win, but it was a game played much closer to the Boilermakers’ own expectations.

“We haven’t been playing good in the previous weeks. We knew if we didn’t come to play in this game that it could get out of hand,” Purdue defensive end Jalani Phillips said. “I felt like we were just more prepared and we made sure we knew our assignments.”

Golson still got the best of the Boilers, though.

The senior quarterback scrambled for a 15-yard touchdown just before halftime to erase Notre Dame’s first deficit of the season, kept a second-half TD drive going with a 17-yard completion on the run and helped the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish score the final 20 points to pull away from rival Purdue 30-14.

The Irish are 3-0 for the second time in three years, the first time Notre Dame has done that since four straight years from 1987-90.

But there was little celebrating.

Receiver Amir Carlisle left in the first quarter with a sprained medical collateral ligament in his right knee and did not return. Safety Max Redfield was ejected in the second quarter after being called for targeting, safety Nicky Baratti re-injured his shoulder on the next play and starting cornerback Cole Luke left later with a neck injury.

So Golson put the burden squarely on his shoulders — and legs — and the guy who led the Fighting Irish to the national championship game two seasons ago took control as one of the few offensive players in sync. He was 25 of 40 for 259 yards with two touchdown passes and ran 18 times for a season-high 56 yards and the one score.

The combination was good enough to send the Shillelagh Trophy back to South Bend, Indiana, for a seventh consecutive year, where it will stay until these teams resume the rivalry in 2020 following a five-year hiatus. The Shamrock Series has been played every year since 1946.

With No. 6 Georgia losing to No. 24 South Carolina earlier Saturday, Notre Dame could crack the Top 10 for the first time this season — though Kelly isn’t convinced his team is playing that well yet.

“We’re still not a finished product by any means, we’re still such a young team,” Kelly said. “At 3-0, we’re extremely pleased with where we are, but we know we’re nowhere close to where we need to be.”

That may partially explain why this game again failed to follow the expected script.

Brandon Cottom scored on a 7-yard TD pass in the first quarter to tie the score at 7, and Etling somehow managed to fit in a 19-yard TD pass to DeAngelo Yancey, who tip-toed the end line despite drawing a pass interference call, to give the Boilermakers a 14-10 lead with 3 minutes left in the first half.

Purdue hung around until late in the third quarter when Golson avoided the pass rush by sprinting right and found Greg Byrant for a 17-yard completion. Two plays later, Golson hooked up with Corey Robinson for a 15-yard TD pass to make it 24-14. Golson then directed two time-consuming drives in the fourth quarter, both of which ended with field goals, to end any lingering comeback hopes for the Boilermakers.

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
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote