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Gamecocks’ Spurrier still frustrated over win

By WTOP Staff

PETE IACOBELLI
AP Sports Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Steve Spurrier wasn’t quite as angry Tuesday as he had been about South Carolina’s performance in a win over Vanderbilt.

He is, though, still very frustrated.

Spurrier ranted about his team’s “embarrassing” performance following the 48-34 win over Vanderbilt, appointing himself kickoff coverage coach when the Commodores returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.

The coach called it one of the worst wins of his career.

A few days later, Spurrier’s fury had eased up a bit.

The coach called special teams leader Joe Robinson “an excellent coach,” and sounded more eager to prepare the Gamecocks (3-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) for defending SEC Eastern Division winner Missouri (3-1, 0-0) on Saturday night than to rip into his players any further.

“We still believe we have a chance to have a good team this year. We’re 3-1 and have won some close ones,” Spurrier said. “We’ve played some pretty good teams. We didn’t think Vandy was going to be that good, but they played their hearts out. Probably out-played us. Probably out-hustled us in a lot of areas.”

Spurrier acknowledged there were some bright spots in South Carolina’s third straight win.

Quarterback Dylan Thompson and the offense play strongly, Spurrier said, in leading the Gamecocks out of a 14-0 hole and into the lead by halftime. Thompson, who completed 22 of 34 passes for 237 yards and three TDs at Vanderbilt, stands fourth in SEC passing average at 285 yards a game with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.

“Week one didn’t go as we wanted,” Thompson said, referring to the 52-28 home loss to No. 6 Texas A&M. “But we’ve got three wins since then. That’s what we want to do, we want to win games.”

Perhaps in a more Spurrier-pleasing way.

The Gamecocks entered the season as the clear pick to win the East, a notion that lasted until the Aggies came in and gained 680 yards — the most ever allowed by South Carolina.

The team found its footing in a win over No. 23 East Carolina and regained control of the division by defeating No. 12 Georgia 38-35. No one, including Spurrier, thought the Gamecocks would have much trouble at Vanderbilt until the opening kickoff was brought back for a score.

“We didn’t think Vandy was that good of an offensive team, but they made a bunch of yards on us,” he said. “So it was a little frustrating.”

South Carolina and Connor Shaw have frustrated Missouri since joining the SEC two years ago. The Tigers were picked apart in a 31-10 loss two years ago, Shaw completing 20 of 21 passes and two TDs. A year later, Shaw came off the bench at Missouri despite being ill to rally the Gamecocks from 17-points down to a 27-24, double-overtime victory.

“We’re aware of that. I know that we’re going to come out and we’re going to give them our best game,” Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk said. “We can’t take them lightly. Obviously, they’re a very good football team that can do a lot of things.”

Unless you spend too much time listening to Spurrier, who’ll turn 70 in April.

Safety Sharrod Golightly, a senior, has heard such displeasure before from his head coach and knows what parts of the rant to discard and what to pay attention to.

“With coach Spurrier, we look past the anger and the tone and just try and look into the message,” he said.

Spurrier hopes his players understand they’ve got to improve to reach the goals they freely discussed during the preseason of winning their division and maybe the SEC title.

A win over Missouri would make South Carolina 3-0 against East teams and give the Gamecocks a strong start toward reaching Atlanta for the championship game.

“We do believe our players can play better on defense and on special teams and even offensively,” Spurrier said. “So we believe it and if we can get it out of them, we’ll have a chance for a big year. If we can’t get it out of them, we’re going to be very, very average.”

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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