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Reeling Syracuse hosts No. 1 Florida State

By WTOP Staff

JOHN KEKIS
AP Sports Writer

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Syracuse has a new quarterback and a new offensive coordinator just in time for a visit from top-ranked Florida State.

Not a problem for Orange safety Durell Eskridge.

“I don’t have a concern. We just want to play,” Eskridge said. “We just want a chance. We just want to show that we can play against anybody. They’re very good, very talented, but at the end of the day they’re nameless faces just like everybody else that we play. They have talent, we have talent.”

Just not as much.

Syracuse (2-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) has lost three straight. Florida State (5-0, 3-0 ACC) has won a school-record 21 straight, the longest winning streak in the nation.

The Seminoles demonstrated the big gap between the teams a year ago, beating the Orange 59-3 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. Eskridge, a Florida native, notched his fourth interception of the season, but it came long after starting quarterback Jameis Winston had departed, his services not needed after leading the Seminoles to a 38-0 halftime lead.

Terrel Hunt started last year’s game for Syracuse but is out for at least a month with a broken calf bone. That left Tim Lester, who replaced George McDonald as offensive coordinator early in the week, with a lot of work to do in a very short span of time.

Hunt, a dual threat, will be replaced by a committee that includes backup Austin Wilson, freshman AJ Long and sophomore Mitch Kimble. Wilson has played in two games and is 11 of 20 passing for 89 yards. Long and Kimble have never taken a snap in a college game.

“Unfortunately for us, we have three young guys that are pretty much inexperienced,” Lester said. “They’re fighting and Hunt is in there watching film with them every day. They’re just trying to speed up the learning curve as fast as they can. Depending on what we need, I can see guys being changed out throughout a drive, particularly inside the red zone.”

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher is taking it all in stride.

“We’ll have to guess a little bit about how they’re going to do things on offense,” Fisher said. “We’ve just got to go and research the history of … what type of quarterbacks these guys are. It’s kind of, I don’t want to say routine, but it’s kind of more the norm because so many people are doing so many different things.”

Some other things to know when Syracuse hosts No. 1 Florida State on Saturday:

GREENE MACHINE : Florida State senior wideout Rashad Greene, who suffered a concussion last week against Wake Forest, seems to be back in form and is expected to play against Syracuse.

“Now, I’m not saying 100 percent until they double check him … and all his visuals, but he was the old Rashad” in practice Thursday, coach Jimbo Fisher said.

Greene leads the team with 38 receptions, 576 yards and three touchdowns. He is four catches away from breaking the school career receptions record and 558 yards from breaking the career yardage mark. Greene needs seven touchdowns to break the school’s career receiving touchdowns record.

STILL COACHING: Syracuse needs all hands on deck for the game and former offensive coordinator George McDonald has been there despite his demotion to receivers coach by head coach Scott Shafer after last week’s 28-6 home loss to Louisville.

“There was no conversation. I wasn’t very happy. Felt I was blindsided,” McDonald said. “I don’t want to be a distraction. I’m here to help coach (Tim) Lester in any way that I can to help us beat Florida State and get back on track with the season that we wanted. I may not think the decision was right, I might disagree with it, but I’m here to coach these kids.”

KICK ME: Florida State has the ultimate special teams ace-in-the-hole in place-kicker Roberto Aguayo. After setting the national record for points by a kicker (157) en route to All-America honors last year, Aguayo has tied the FSU record with five field goals in a game (last week against Wake Forest) and has established a new mark for consecutive field goals made (21). He’s 12 for 12 on field goals this season and has made all 22 PATs to lead the ACC in scoring at 11.6 points per game. For his career, Aguayo has made 33 of 34 field goals and all 116 extra points. He hasn’t missed a kick since Nov. 9 last season.

SPIDERMAN: Florida State 6-foot-7 defensive end Lorenzo Featherston has been a terror on the field since entering the rotation two weeks ago. The freshman has 13 tackles, including 4 for loss, one sack, one quarterback hurry, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He was nearly unblockable early against Wake Forest. Featherston’s height and length shuts down passing lanes, but his athleticism allows him to be a strong and quick pass-rusher instead of a lanky end that’s easily blocked due to leverage problems.

NUMBERS PLEASE: Since the start of The Associated Press poll in 1936, Syracuse is 1-8 against the AP’s top-ranked team, the lone victory coming against Nebraska (17-9) in the Carrier Dome in 1984. Saturday’s game against Florida State marks the second time the Orange will play the Seminoles when FSU has been ranked No. 1. In 1991, Syracuse traveled to Tallahassee and lost 46-14.

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Associated Press writers Kareem Copeland in Tallahassee, Florida, and Mark Frank in Syracuse, New York, contributed to this report.

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Follow Kekis on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Greek1947

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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