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Texas can’t hold on in 20-17 loss to No. 12 UCLA

By WTOP Staff

STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Tyrone Swoopes had just thrown his second touchdown pass to put Texas ahead late when the Longhorns recovered a fumble.

Just a couple of first downs and the Longhorns would have a huge upset only three games into coach Charlie Strong’s tenure, and a week after a humiliating loss at home.

But the Longhorns gave the ball right back, UCLA set up backup quarterback Jerry Neuheisel’s second touchdown pass with a long punt return and the Bruins pulled out a 20-17 victory Saturday night in a game that started with a big blunder by Texas.

“For a minute there, we felt like we had finally broke through that wall, but it seems like the luck just doesn’t keep coming to our side,” said John Harris, whose 8-yard TD catch with 5:13 left put the Longhorns up 17-13.

“We didn’t win. It hurts. They all feel the same,” running back Malcolm Brown said. “We still took a loss. We have to go out and get better.”

The game-winning score for UCLA (3-0) was Neuheisel’s 33-yard TD pass to Jordan Payton with 3 minutes left, on the first play after a 58-yard punt return by Ishmael Adams with the assist of a crushing open-field block by Cameron Judge.

Neuheisel, the third-year sophomore and son of the former UCLA coach, completed 23 of 30 passes for 178 yards after Brett Hundley injured his left elbow in the first quarter.

“It took until I got in the locker room and we did the fight song that it really sank in,” Neuheisel said. “I know tomorrow I’ll be able to tell you every single play I ran and every single throw I had and every mistake I made. Right now I’m just kind of on cloud nine and enjoying the moment.”

After the Swoopes-to-Harris TD and recovered fumble, the Longhorns (1-2) went three-and-out before punting the ball to Adams.

Swoopes threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns in his second start for concussion-plagued David Ash.

The Bruins got the ball to start both halves after Texas botched the opening coin toss.

UCLA won the coin toss and elected to defer its choice until the second half, then Texas said it wanted to go on defense. The referee turned off his microphone and briefly said something to the Longhorns players after their decision.

“I think what happened is that one of our guys got nervous,” said Strong, who was told by the player that he “just got so hyped up.”

When the Bruins unexpectedly got the ball to start the game, they got one first down before stalling at midfield and punting. On the expected opening drive of the second half, they went 75 yards on seven plays for a game-tying 3-yard TD pass from Neuheisel to Nate Iese.

Paul Perkins had 126 yards on 24 carries for the Bruins, and caught five passes for 69 yards. Ka’imi Fairbairn had field goals of 47 and 25 yards.

Hundley got hurt on UCLA’s second offensive possession, at the end of an 11-yard run to convert a third-and-9. He appeared to land awkwardly on his left arm when he reached down while being tackled at the Bruins 35.

Texas fans in burnt orange were the majority in the announced crowd of 60,479 for the neutral site game played at the $1.2 billion Dallas Cowboys’ home stadium, only three hours from their Austin campus and the site of the national championship game in four months.

But there were still a lot of empty seats a week after the Longhorns’ 41-7 home loss to BYU that Strong described as embarrassing and humiliating.

“I like how we battled. … I just like overall how this team bounced back from a week ago,” Strong said. “I just told them to keep fighting, keep battling and good things are going to happen and these close games we’ll be able to win. It’s hard right now. It’s tough in that locker room. They laid it out there and gave everything they had.”

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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