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Washington State beats Portland State 59-21

By WTOP Staff

NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Connor Halliday, the nation’s leading passer, threw for 544 yards and six touchdowns on Saturday as Washington State beat Portland State 59-21.

Isiah Myers caught 11 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns for Washington State (1-2), which had opened the season with losses to Rutgers and Nevada but proved too much for FCS Portland State.

Kieran McDonagh led Portland State (1-2) with 269 passing yards and a touchdown. Alex Toureen caught seven passes for 100 yards.

Halliday, a senior, completed 41 of 62 passes and was intercepted twice. Washington State piled up 706 yards of offense while holding Portland State to 362 yards.

Dom Williams caught four passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns for the Cougars.

Halliday came into the game leading the nation with 921 passing yards.

Washington State has never lost to an FCS opponent and the Cougars scored on three straight possessions, starting late in the first quarter, to take control.

Washington State’s Gerard Wicks powered over from the 1-yard line, completing an 80-yard drive in 14 plays. The drive featured nine catches or rushes by the WSU running backs, which coach Mike Leach said this week was essential for his Air Raid offense to have success.

Portland State drove down to the WSU 10 on its next possession. But running back Shaq Richard fumbled and Washington State’s Destiny Vaeao recovered on the 7 to kill the drive.

Halliday connected with Myers on a 67-yard pass play. Five plays later Halliday fired a 15-yard touchdown pass to River Cracraft in the end zone and Washington State led 14-0 early in the second quarter.

Portland State was forced to punt on its next possession, and Rickey Galvin returned the ball 44 yards to the PSU 17. Halliday on the first play connected with Dom Williams, who ran into the end zone for a 21-0 WSU lead.

Portland State got the ball on downs at Washington State’s 44, but McDonagh was intercepted in the end zone by Charleston White to end the threat. Washington State marched 80 yards in six plays, with Halliday hitting Vince Mayle in the end zone for a 28-0 lead that stood at halftime.

Halliday had 321 passing yards and three touchdowns in the first half, while Myers caught seven passes for 150 yards in the first. Portland State was held to 119 total yards in the first half.

Portland State finally got on the scoreboard on the first series of the second half. Richard scored on a 7-yard run, capping an 11-play, 85-yard drive, to cut WSU’s lead to 28-7.

After a Washington State punt, the Vikings marched 71 yards in six plays. McDonagh completed the drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kasey Closs in the end zone as Portland State cut WSU’s lead to 28-14.

Washington State replied with a 75-yard drive that ended with Halliday’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Myers, for a 35-14 lead late in the third. Myers caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Halliday on WSU’s next possession for a 42-14 lead.

Halliday was intercepted by Patrick Onwuasor, who returned the ball 42 yards for a touchdown, but Portland State still trailed 42-21 with 13:19 left in the game.

Halliday and Myers connected on a 55-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth.

This is Portland State’s second game against a Pac-12 team this season. It lost 29-14 at Oregon State on Aug. 30, after leading at halftime. The Vikings dropped to 2-32 all-time against FBS schools, including 0-14 against Pac-12 schools.

Portland State piled up 507 yards of offense in edging lower-division Western Oregon 45-38 last week, but couldn’t get untracked against the Cougars.

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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