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Schaub, Raiders shaky in preseason debut

By WTOP Staff

JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Matt Schaub has impressed his new coaches and teammates with the Oakland Raiders with his sharp performance during training camp practices as he looks to turn the page from a disastrous finish to his career in Houston.

His first game action in the silver and black was nowhere near as promising.

Schaub was just 3 for 7 for 21 yards and the Raiders went three-and-out in all three of his series in a 10-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the preseason opener on Friday night.

“We’re not on the practice field anymore. The lights are on. We need to go out and play,” Schaub said. “We’re facing someone else. It was the first opportunity for us to form our identity for the season. We went out and we didn’t play near to expectations or our standard and we need to go back and figure out how to play that way next week.”

Schaub played into the second quarter, which is rare for a starting quarterback in the first game of the preseason. But the sloppy performance by the starting offense demanded it.

Things got off to an ominous start when right tackle Menelik Watson was flagged for a false start on the first play of the game. The Raiders committed a penalty on each of the three drives Schaub participated in, including a holding call on left tackle Donald Penn that negated a 16-yard completion to Andre Holmes that would have moved the chains.

“I’m disappointed in the way that we played,” Raiders coach Dennis Allen said. “I thought we’d come out and be sharper than that and execute better than that. The penalties really were the big story of the game.”

The Raiders committed 13 penalties for 94 yards the game, Oakland receivers dropped several passes and there was a mistake on a route that submarined a third-down play on the opening drive of the game. It’s not the way Schaub wanted to get started in his new uniform after seven mostly productive seasons with the Texans ended with a nightmare of a season in 2013. He’s hoping to provide some stability at quarterback after Raiders fans have watched 17 different players start a regular season game since their last Super Bowl appearance in 2002.

“I thought he was put in some tough situations,” Allen said of Schaub. “We had a mistake on the first third down of the game which turned out to be an incompletion. We’ve got to execute better and put ourselves in more manageable situations. … I thought overall the execution wasn’t good enough.”

Second-round pick Derek Carr wasn’t much better in his NFL debut, either. He was 10 for 16 for 74 yards, but his high throw went through Jamize Olawale’s hands and was intercepted by Kurt Coleman.

“I’ve got a lot of things to work on, but it was nice to finally get out and play an NFL game,” Carr said. “It was a dream come true and it was everything I thought it would be as a kid growing up.”

Darren McFadden had a 23-yard run, the only highlight by a Raiders starter. Third-string quarterback Matt McGloin was 11 for 18 for 90 yards and had a late 10-yard touchdown scramble.

“There’s some positives there we can take and continue to work with, but obviously we’ve got a long, long way to go as a football team to be the type of team that we want to be,” Allen said.

Matt Cassel went 5 for 6 for 62 yards on his only series of the game for the Vikings, an impressive touchdown march on their first drive of the game. Rookie Teddy Bridgewater was more up and down, going 6 of 13 for 49 yards for the Vikings, who are playing the next two seasons at the University of Minnesota’s outdoor TCF Bank Stadium while they await their new stadium to be built.

Both teams escaped without significant injuries, which is always the primary goal of these preseason contests. Raiders backup defensive tackle Justin Ellis walked slowly off the field with a head injury.

“It’s a starting point and obviously there’s things we definitely want to clean up and get better at and we’re going to go do that,” Schaub said. “What we did tonight, hurting ourselves, doesn’t diminish what we’ve done and put into training camp so far. We’re just going to get back and go back to work.”

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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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