Skip to main content

No. 19 East Carolina not overlooking South Florida

By WTOP Staff

FRED GOODALL
AP Sports Writer

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — When No. 19 East Carolina faces South Florida, coach Ruffin McNeill said his team will be motivated by a desire to get better, not protect its national ranking or make up for past failures against the Bulls.

The Pirates (4-1, 1-0) are in the Associated Press Top 25 for only the second time since 1999, looking to remain unbeaten in the American Athletic Conference. They’ve never beaten USF (2-3, 1-0), which views Saturday as an opportunity to make a statement in coach Willie Taggart’s bid to turn around a struggling program.

McNeill insists the Pirates haven’t spent much time, if any, talking about being ranked or the Pirates’ 0-4 record in previous meetings against South Florida.

The schools last met in the 2006 Papajohns.com Bowl, with the Bulls winning 24-7.

“We don’t talk about the past because it’s irrelevant. We can’t control what happened in the past. We talk about ourselves and what we have to do to get better,” McNeill said.

ECU climbed into the Top 25 following victories over Virginia Tech on the road and North Carolina at home. They inched up one spot to No. 22 during a bye week and jumped three more after beating SMU 45-24, with Shane Carden throwing for over 400 yards for the third consecutive game and become the Pirates’ career passing leader.

A series of upsets wreaked havoc in the Top 10 a week ago, however McNeill said that hasn’t changed the way he and his players are going about their business.

“At the end of the year, we want to be playing our best football. What’s brought up is how we stay focused on making the team better. Fortunately, we have a group of kids that believe that,” said McNeill, who’s 33-23 in his fifth season at his alma mater.

“Our foundation isn’t built on rankings. … Wins are hard to come by. Trust me, I cherish every single one,” the coach added. “I hope everyone feels the same way. There’s no such thing as an ugly win. Ugly is in the dictionary and win is in there, but ugly win is not in there for me. Our kids understand that, too.”

McNeill certainly won’t get an argument out of Taggart, who moved from Western Kentucky to USF in December 2012, inheriting a program that ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation in 2007 only to fall on difficult times while compiling a 16-21 record in three seasons under former East Carolina coach Skip Holtz.

The Bulls went 2-10 a year ago in their first season under Taggart. USF lost 27-10 at then-No. 19 Wisconsin two weeks ago, and welcome another opportunity to surprise a highly regarded opponent.

“Where we’re at right now, any win is the juice you should be excited about.” Taggart said.

“It’s great playing against a ranked opponent, beat those schools, everybody excited. But for us, any win should be that way right now, ranked team or not. … I think it’s going to be a fun ballgame.”

___

Some things to watch as ECU tries for its first 5-1 start since 1999 when Pirates play USF:

STOP US IF YOU CAN: ECU’s spread-style offense is fourth in the nation in passing (395.6 yards per game) and total yards (581.4) and ninth in scoring (43.6). All of those are tops in the AAC.

DYNAMIC DUO: While the Pirates have a lot of productive playmakers, Carden and receiver Justin Hardy set tone. Carden moved ahead of former NFL quarterback David Garrard to become ECU’s all-time leader passer with 9,134 yards. Hardy had eight receptions against SMU, moving within 47 of the NCAA Division I-A mark for reception in a career (349) held by Oklahoma’s Ryan Broyles.

WELCOME BACK: USF’s sputtering offense should benefit from the return of senior Andre Davis, who’s closing in on becoming the Bulls’ all-time leading receiver. He’s missed the past four games after being injured on his only catch of the season, a 44-yarder in the season opener against Western Carolina.

GETTING BETTER: Taggart was encouraged by the way USF played at Wisconsin. It was a 3-3 game at halftime, however costly penalties and an inability to sustain drives on offense contributed to the Badgers pulling away. The Bulls had the ball on offense for just 39 seconds of the fourth quarter.

PIRATES DEFENSE: ECU’s defense figures to be tested by USF’s running game. Freshman Marlon Mack is the AAC’s leading rusher at 107.2 yards per game.

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
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote