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Bortles solid in preseason debut against Bucs

By WTOP Staff

FRED GOODALL
AP Sports Writer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t putting pressure on Blake Bortles to win a starting job in training camp.

The rookie quarterback was solid in his preseason debut Friday night, throwing for 117 yards and leading a second-half drive for a field goal in a 16-10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“There was some good stuff, some bad stuff, things that I’ve got to overcome,” Bortles said.

“It’s a process, it’s not going to happen overnight,” he added. “The chemistry felt really good with the second unit, we’ve been working really well together during camp. I thought the offensive line did a really good job of protecting up front.”

The third overall pick in the draft completed 7 of 11 passes, including a 31-yarder down the middle of the field to Mike Brown to set up a 26-yard field goal that gave the Jaguars a 10-3 lead late in the third quarter.

The Bucs were penalized for a late hit on the rookie from Central Florida, tacking on another 15 yards.

Tampa Bay drove 85 yards to make it 10-10 on Mike Glennon’s 6-yard scoring pass to Tommy Streeter, but dropped its first game under coach Lovie Smith when a defense that had done a good job of keeping Jacksonville’s offense out of the end zone faltered in the fourth quarter.

Denard Robinson’s 23-yard TD run put the Jaguars ahead for good with under seven minutes remaining. Jacksonville also scored on Winston Guy Jr.’s 68-yard interception return in the first quarter.

Tampa Bay’s first-team offense sputtered while playing into the second quarter. In addition to throwing the interception that was returned for a TD, Josh McCown was sacked twice and lost a fumble.

“The defense did a good job of keeping them out (of the end zone). But we say it’s defense versus defense,” Smith said. “Their defense scored a touchdown, we didn’t. We’re playing hard, but we’re still not where we need to be on the defensive side either.”

Chad Henne started for the Jaguars and played four series before being replaced by Bortles, who has yet to take a snap with Jacksonville’s first-team offense in training camp.

The rookie received a nice ovation from the announced crowd of 59,100 at EverBank Field before completing his first pass for 24 yards to Allen Hurns.

Two plays later, he rolled out of the pocket to his left and showed he has a sense of when he needs to take a little off his throws with a nice flip to fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou for a 12-yard gain.

“I thought he did a nice job, showed some good poise. We felt like we could protect him,” Jacksonville coach Gus Bradley said. “Just the poise factor, we wanted to see that in him, and he did a nice job.”

So when might Bortles begin to get some practice time with the starters?

“Our philosophy is to try and get these rookies in with the ones. Somewhere you’re going to see it, we want them to feel the speed of the ones,” Bradley said. “We do that with all our guys, I’m sure we’ll do that with Blake as well. We’ll see how things go as to when we get him in there. I just think he’s progressing nice.”

Smith and first-year general manager Jason Licht spent in free agency to bring in four new starters for Tampa Bay’s defense and also rebuild an offensive line that did not protect McCown well Friday night.

The 35-year-old quarterback, a career backup who began training camp as a projected starter for the first time in a decade, was hurried into a couple of bad throws and also took a hard hit at the end of a 9-yard scramble.

Henne completed 4 of 7 for 30 yards. The Jaguars hurt themselves with a pair of bad snaps that sailed over the quarterback’s head in shotgun formation. The second one rolled 21 yards on fourth down, helping set up the 44-yard field goal for Tampa Bay’s first points of the game.

McCown finished 2 of 4 for 20 yards with one interception. He rushed for 13 yards on the two plays Jacksonville’s pass rush forced him to run.

Glennon, who started 13 games as a rookie a year ago when a 4-12 finish cost coach Greg Schiano and general manager Mark Dominik their jobs, was 11 of 19 for 140 yards and no interceptions.

“We’re not ready yet. … This first game, we kind of see where we are a little bit,” Smith said. “Had some protection issues, didn’t protect the quarterback well enough. That’s pretty much it.”

Notes: The Jaguars played without starting RB Toby Gerhart and WRs Cecil Shorts III and Allen Robinson. … S Dashon Goldson and CB Alterraun Verner, one of Tampa Bay’s key offseason acquisitions, did not dress for the Bucs.

___

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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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