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Oregon St looks to go 3-0 facing San Diego St

By WTOP Staff

ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer

The Oregon State Beavers are anxious to get back to work.

Coming off a bye, the Beavers host San Diego State (1-1) on Saturday night, looking to start the season 3-0 before their Pac-12 schedule gets underway. Oregon State opened with a win at home over Portland State and followed it up with another on the road against Hawaii.

“It’s all about the process with the growth of your team,” Beavers coach Mike Riley said. “The more you find out, the more the players figure out how the team’s gonna win, the more it’s going to help you down the road.”

Last season when the Beavers visited San Diego State, Sean Mannion led a come-from-behind 34-30 victory. Mannion hit Terron Ward for a 10-yard score to pull Oregon State within 30-28 before cornerback Steven Nelson intercepted Quinn Kaehler’s pass and returned it 16 yards to give the Beavers the lead with 2:38 remaining in the game.

Mannion finished with 367 yards passing and three touchdowns.

He’s again the leader of the Beavers’ offense this season, with 628 yards and four touchdowns this season. The senior captain needs 186 yards passing this week to pass Derek Anderson on Oregon State’s career list.

“He is a good quarterback. I played against him last year and have respect for him. He is going to do really well in the future and going into his career,” San Diego State linebacker Cody Galea said this week. “Right now, we have a game against him and the whole football team. It’s not about just him. It’s about his whole squad against our whole squad.”

San Diego State is also coming off a bye week after falling 31-27 on the road to North Carolina. The Aztecs led by 14 points with less than five minutes left in the third quarter before the Tar Heels scored on four straight possessions to take a 4-point lead.

Kaehler threw for a career-high 341 yards with a touchdown and led the Aztecs to a first-and-goal from the North Carolina 3 in the final minute — but he was picked off trying to hit Lloyd Mills in the end zone.

“I think they’re fine. I think the bye week gave them a couple extra days to feel bad about it,” coach Rocky Long said about the loss. “Football teams that have a chance to win the next game never worry about the last game, win or lose.”

The Aztecs are 8-4 following a defeat under Long.

TRACKING SEAN: Earlier this week Oregon State launched the website: SeanMannionTheQB.com. The site aims to help fans follow Mannion as he chases school and Pac-12 conference records this season.

PENALITES: The Beavers spent part of the bye week addressing penalties, an issue because through just two games they’ve had 26 for 218 yards. “You try to clean up technique and remain sound on procedure and that will hopefully solve the problem as we go forward,” Riley said.

MISSING RUFFIN: Aztecs senior wide receiver Ezell Ruffin broke his collar bone in the loss at North Carolina and will miss six to eight weeks — but not the season as originally feared. “I think we have some young, talented wide receivers just like we have some young, talented safeties. But whenever you lose a player of (Ruffin’s) ability and experience, you can’t replace him. So obviously it hurts us,” Long said. Ruffin had six catches for 116 yards this season.

LONG ON MANNION: Long, who played quarterback during his college days, had high praise for Mannion: “He’s big, strong, has an excellent arm and is very accurate with the football. But the most impressive thing about him to me is he never gets rattled. When things go bad, it doesn’t bother him. He just keeps hanging in there and throwing the ball, and most of the time it’s right on the money.”

HISTORY: The two teams are meeting for the fifth time with the series split at two games each. San Diego State hasn’t visited Corvallis since a 35-3 defeat in 2000. In their last 22 games against the Pac-12, the Aztecs have won only once: a 42-24 victory over Washington State on Sept. 17, 2011.

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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