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Montana, defense carry Tulane past UConn, 12-3

By WTOP Staff

BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Nick Montana passed for a touchdown, Tulane’s defense produced three turnovers and a safety, and the Green Wave defeated Connecticut 12-3 on Saturday night.

With his Hall-of-Fame father, Joe Montana, watching from inside Tulane’s new on-campus stadium, the Green Wave quarterback completed 19 of 26 passes for 135 yards in his first start this season.

Tulane (2-4, 1-1 American Athletic Conference) gained 167 yards on the ground, led by Sherman Badie’s 77 yards on 14 carries.

Chandler Whitmer was 17 of 24 for 141 yards for UConn (1-5, 0-3), which lost its fourth straight, and the Huskies took an early 3-0 lead on Bobby Puyol’s career-long 44-yard field goal.

Whitmer briefly was replaced in the second quarter by Tim Boyle, but he was intercepted by Lorenzo Doss.

Huskies running back Arkeel Newsome lost two fumbles, both recovered by safety Darion Monroe, who also forced one of the fumbles.

Montana was Tulane’s starter a season ago as a junior, helping the Green Wave to a 7-6 record and its first bowl bid in more than a decade. Still, he was also erratic while playing with an injured throwing shoulder that season.

In August, he lost his job to redshirt freshman Tanner Lee.

Yet, while Tulane often moved the ball well with Lee under center, the inexperienced QB was also prone to drive-stalling mistakes, and then injured his shoulder at Rutgers two weekends ago. Although the Green Wave had last weekend off, Montana took first-team snaps in practice this past week and led the offense onto the field against UConn.

Montana hit his first four passes for 53 yards, including a 21-yarder over the middle, and his 7-yard scoring strike to Charles Jones to make it 7-3.

Tulane took a 9-3 lead when defensive end Tyler Gilbert surged into the backfield and cut down running back Max DeLorenzo for a safety — a play set up by Peter Picerelli’s 38-yard punt to the UConn 1-yard line.

Green Wave freshman kicker Andrew DiRocco, who’d missed four of five field goal attempts entering the game, hit a career-long 38-yarder in the fourth quarter to make it 12-3. The kick came just days after former Tulane kicker Cairo Santos, a 2012 Lou Groza award winner who is now with the Kansas City Chiefs, visited during his NFL club’s bye week to work with DiRocco in practice.

That field goal attempt was possible after Montana spun away from what looked like a certain third-down sack, rolled right and threw back across his body for a 10-yard, first-down completion to Justyn Shackleford.

All three of UConn’s turnovers occurred in Tulane territory.

In the second quarter, Doss intercepted Boyle’s third-down pass on the Tulane 38. Later in the quarter, Monroe ripped the ball away from Newsome as the pair went to the ground on the Tulane 30.

Down 7-3 in the middle of the third quarter, UConn was in field goal range after Newsome caught a 7-yard pass from Whitmer, but Newsome lost the ball again on a hit by Tanzel Smart at the Tulane 24, and Monroe recovered.

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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