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Louisville’s No. 1 D ahead for Clemson QB

By WTOP Staff

PETE IACOBELLI
AP Sports Writer

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney wanted the Tigers freshman quarterback to be tested. Louisville and its No. 1-ranked defense should give Deshaun Watson the challenge his coach wanted.

The Tigers (3-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) and Swinney have seen their season revived with Watson’s ascension to starting quarterback. He has run and passed for 1,088 yards and 11 touchdowns the past three games, the past two victories over North Carolina and North Carolina State following the team’s 1-2 start.

The Cardinals (5-1, 3-1) will try to slow him down when they make their first trip to Death Valley on Saturday. Louisville leads the country yards allowed, permitting just 230 yards and one touchdown a game — about 130 yards and two TDs fewer than Watson’s averaged the past three contests.

Swinney understands the challenge ahead for Watson with Louisville’s aggressive defense. But Watson has shown a poise at the position many newcomers need time to develop. The coach raved about Watson’s ability to hang in amid pressure, work through his progressions when opponents cut off the primary routes and making positive yards.

“Those are the things that he has demonstrated,” Swinney said. “If he continues to prepare in the right way, we will be all right.”

Louisville defensive coordinator Todd Grantham schemed for the Tigers last year as Georgia’s defensive leader. He thinks Clemson is reaching that level of efficiency with Watson in control.

“They’ve gotten their groove now over the last little bit with him,” Grantham said. “They certainly present a challenge to us and we understand that we have to play well.”

The Cardinals have certainly done that on defense. Defensive end Lorenzo Mauldin is second in the ACC with nine tackles for loss this season. He’s tied with teammate, linebacker Keith Kelsey, at ninth in the league with four sacks.

Mauldin said the Cardinals want to keep Watson bottled up and force him to throw into Louisville’s secondary, which leads the conference with 12 interceptions.

“So if we can keep the outside contained and keep our middle contained and make him pass the ball, we should be alight,” Mauldin said.

___

Things to watch when Louisville plays Clemson on Saturday:

SAY IT LOUD: Louisville coach Bobby Petrino ignited a kerfuffle this week, saying Clemson’s Death Valley probably wouldn’t be much louder than Syracuse’s Carrier Dome where the Cardinals won 28-6 last week. At Clemson, some 80,000 people will be cheering against the Cardinals, more than double the 37,569 who attended the Syracuse game. Tigers defensive tackle Grady Jarrett expects a raucous home crowd, as always. He says the team has watched game film from all sorts of stadiums and at Clemson, the tape is “always shaking.”

PARKER PREPARES: Injured Louisville receiver DeVante Parker returned to practice this week and offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said how he handles things will determine how much, if any, Parker will play against the Tigers. Parker has missed the season so far with fractured bone in his foot. Parker had 55 catches a year ago for 885 yards and a school record 12 TD receptions.

CLEMSON’S D: While most of the buzz involves the Tigers young quarterback, the team’s defense showed its strength a week ago in a 41-0 shutout of North Carolina State. It was Clemson’s first shutout of a FBS opponent in 16 years. Wolfpack quarterback Jacoby Brissett was 4 of 18 passing for 35 yards. Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables does not believe Louisville’s lofty defensive ranking will have his group any more charged up than they are just to get back out on the field.

WHO’S AT QB: Louisville also got some good news at quarterback with the return of sophomore Will Gardner to practice this week. Gardner started the Cardinals first four games before leaving with a knee injury against Florida International. Freshman Reggie Bonnafon led Louisville’s past two victories. Coach Bobby Petrino said he’ll decide on a starter based on this past week’s practice.

BEASLEY MILESTONE: Clemson senior defensive end Vic Beasley is almost done chasing the school’s sacks record. He joined ex-NFL standouts Michael Dean Perry and the late Gaines Adams when he collected his 28th career sack in the North Carolina State win. Beasley said he’s anxious to get the record-breaking stop to he can concentrate on the rest of the season.

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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