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No. 19 East Carolina rallies to beat South Florida

By WTOP Staff

FRED GOODALL
AP Sports Writer

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — With No. 19 East Carolina’s grip on a spot in the Top 25 seemingly slipping away, Shane Carden and Co. never flinched.

Instead, the senior quarterback and his talented supporting cast did what they do best — move the ball with amazing efficiency in shrugging off a slow start to come from behind to beat South Florida 28-17 on Saturday night.

Carden led three long second-half touchdown drives, and the Pirates (5-1, 2-0) overcame a 10-point deficit to remain unbeaten in American Athletic Conference play and improve their best start since 1999.

“In the first half, we were moving the ball great. We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot,” Carden said. “We had a little fumble there in the first drive. We had a bunch of penalties, and we just let them affect us too much.

‘We had penalties in the second half, where I think we just did a good job of overcoming them and not letting them affect us. We came in at halftime just saying: ‘Hey, man, that’s the worst ball we’ve played in a while.'”

USF (2-4, 1-1) faded in the second half against a ranked team for the second straight game. The Bulls were tied 3-3 at the half before losing 27-10 at Wisconsin.

Carden completed 13 of 15 passes for 134 yards while leading scoring drives of 84, 86 and 79 yards on East Carolina’s first three possessions of the second half.

“When you have people down, you’ve got to keep them down,” USF coach Willie Taggart said.

Marquez Grayson’s 24-yard TD run trimmed USF’s lead to 17-14 late in the third quarter and Breon Allen’s 4-yard scoring run put ECU ahead 21-17 early in the fourth. Carden threw a 35-yard TD pass to Allen in the first quarter and Anthony Scott’s 20-yard run left USF trailing by 11 with six minutes left.

“In this (league), we know we’re going to have to overcome some adversity,” East Carolina coach Ruffin McNeill said. “We know we’re going to have to persevere in some things, mistakes that we may make. To do that, it takes a strong character within your team.”

Mike White threw for 257 and one touchdown for USF. Andre Davis, back after missing four games because of a bruised sternum, scored on a 51-yard reception and finished with six catches for 124 yards for the Bulls.

Marlon Mack scored on a 13-yard run for USF, however East Carolina limited the AAC’s leading rusher to 61 yards on 15 attempts.

East Carolina entered the game ranked fourth in the nation in passing (395.6 yards) and total offense (581.4) and ninth in scoring (43.6) but fell well short of the numbers the Pirates are accustomed to accumulating. Carden was 24 of 33 for 250 yards and one interception.

The senior became the Pirates’ career passing leader during last week’s 45-24 conference opener against SMU and entered Saturday night on a streak of three consecutive 400-yard performances.

But with Mack, Darius Tice and Kennard Swanson all having some success running the ball, USF was able to keep Carden and the rest of East Carolina’s playmakers off the field for extended stretches early. Once Carden established a rhythm, though, there was no slowing down the explosive Pirates.

Davis, meanwhile, brought some much-needed vitality to USF’s passing attack. The senior was injured on his only catch of the season before Saturday night — a 44-yarder in the season opener against Western Carolina — and his first reception against East Carolina gave the Bulls a 7-0 lead.

White found the 6-foot-1, 207-pound receiver open on the sideline for a 25-yard gain that made Davis USF’s career leader for receiving yards. He needs nine more receptions to become the Bulls’ career leader in that category.

Justin Hardy had 10 receptions for 114 yards, moving him within 37 catches of the NCAA Division I-A career mark of 349 held by Oklahoma’s Ryan Broyles. Allen finished with 124 yards rushing on 18 carries.

The Pirates outgained the Bulls 481 yards to 350, including a 231-93 edge on the ground.

“They were giving us the run game, and I think we have a pretty good run offense that gets overlooked by the passing game,” Carden said. “We pass the ball a lot. But when we need to run the ball, we can run the ball pretty well.”

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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