Skip to main content

No. 23 Tar Heels beat Flames 56-29 in opener

By WTOP Staff

AARON BEARD
AP Sports Writer

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s offense alternated between sputtering and potent, its defense between porous and opportunistic.

When things finally came together in one dramatic flurry, the No. 23 Tar Heels were finally on their way to a season-opening win.

Marquise Williams accounted for four touchdowns while Jeff Schoettmer returned an interception for a score during their game-turning spurt, helping the Tar Heels beat Liberty 56-29 on Saturday night.

Schoettmer’s 19-yard return came during a run of four touchdowns in fewer than 4 minutes, which jolted the Tar Heels out of a sluggish and mistake-prone performance in the season opener.

“When we’re rolling, man, we’re a scary football team as you can see,” Williams said. “As a football team, there’s always going to be adversity in the game. It’s how you’re going to overcome it.”

Liberty led 22-21 with about 6 minutes left in the third quarter before Williams found Mack Hollins for a 33-yard scoring pass. Williams later scored on a 15-yard keeper and backup Mitch Trubisky followed with his first career TD pass for a 49-22 lead with 2:06 left in the quarter.

That stunning turnaround couldn’t have happened without the maligned defense — perhaps UNC’s biggest question mark coming into the season — forcing three turnovers in the third and setting up the offense with short scoring drives against the Flames.

“I don’t want you to think we changed the scheme and that was what created (turnovers),” coach Larry Fedora said. “It wasn’t that. It was just the energy level of the guys. You get one guy that’s real positive and excited, and it’s contagious and it goes to the next guy. And the next thing you know, good things start to happen.”

The win capped a bumpy game week for UNC, which is ranked to enter a season for the first time since 2010. Fedora suspended four defensive players Wednesday, including starting cornerbacks Des Lawrence and Brian Walker, for a violation of team policy without specifying what rules were broken.

That came a day after a Yahoo Sports report of an alleged hazing altercation that left a redshirt freshman walk-on receiver with a possible concussion. The school has said it is investigating what it described as an incident involving team members, though it hasn’t confirmed it was a hazing incident.

“It wasn’t really a distraction,” Schoettmer said. “Fedora preaches adversity all the time. You can’t let it phase you. That’s just what we did. Two guys stepped in (the starting lineup) and everything was fine.”

For a time, though, it looked as though the Tar Heels were flirting with capping their week with a surprising home loss to a championship subdivision team. But the defense allowed just 53 yards in the third quarter to provide a needed spark and finished with six takeaways for the game.

As for the offense, Williams got to start after battling with Trubisky for the starting quarterback job through preseason camp, though the team rotated them for much of the night. Williams shook off two badly thrown interceptions and finished with 169 yards passing with two TD throws to go with two scoring runs — the first one giving UNC a 21-15 lead with 28 seconds left in the first half.

Todd Macon ran for two touchdowns and D.J. Abnar added one for Liberty, a Big South Conference member playing a ranked bowl subdivision opponent for the first time. Jacob Hagen also returned a fumble 27 yards for a touchdown and the 22-21 lead with 9:25 left in the third before the Tar Heels finally kicked into gear.

“It’s not one guy. It’s not one side of the ball,” Flames coach Turner Gill said. “All of us had opportunities to make some plays. We’ll learn from it. We’ll bounce back and we’ll be a better football team from this game.”

___

Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap

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
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote