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No. 20 K-State rolls past Stephen F. Austin, 55-16

By WTOP Staff

DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State coach Bill Snyder gripped the podium, stared into a row of television cameras and offered a sobering assessment of his team’s performance.

The offense played well when it wasn’t going three-and-out to start the second half. The defense was stingy, except for the huge chunks of yards it allowed on broken plays. Special teams were generally solid, other than Jack Cantele’s missed field goal.

The No. 20 Wildcats may have whipped Stephen F. Austin 55-16 in their season opener Saturday night, but Snyder made it clear that there was plenty of room for improvement.

“I probably dwell on the things that aren’t so good,” he said dryly.

No doubt there was plenty of good to go with the bad.

Jake Waters threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns while also running for two scores, and Charles Jones had a pair of touchdown runs. The game was so far out of reach by the fourth quarter that Snyder was able to play most of his backups, giving them valuable game experience.

Good thing, too, because the road is about to get a whole lot tougher.

Kansas State visits Iowa State to open Big 12 play next weekend, then welcomes No. 6 Auburn to Bill Snyder Family Stadium for a high-profile Thursday night matchup later in September.

“I think we’re close,” Kansas State linebacker Jonathan Truman said. “I’m glad we had this firs game to kind of knock the rust off.”

Stephen F. Austin’s Joe Minden threw for 107 yards in relief of ineffective quarterback Zach Conque, and Gus Johnson had a 30-yard touchdown run after being suspended for the first half.

The Lumberjacks, routed by Texas Tech a year ago, still have never beaten a team from the Big 12 in eight tries. They’re just 3-11 against the Football Bowl Subdivision.

“We’re certainly disappointed but we’re not discouraged,” said Clint Conque, who took over Stephen F. Austin after 14 seasons at Central Arkansas. “We knew it was going to be a challenge coming in here but we’ll take a lot of positives from it.”

Stunned in last year’s opener by North Dakota State, another team from the Football Championship Subdivision, Kansas State refused to look ahead to bigger games down the road.

The Wildcats forced an opening punt and quickly went to work, grinding away on a march that ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett. It was the 19th career TD grab of his career, moving him within seven of his father Kevin Lockett’s career school record.

Lockett barely played the rest of the way, and Snyder refused to say why, other than it was his decision. Lockett does have a history of hamstring injuries.

Asked whether he’ll play next week, Snyder replied: “If I want him to.”

It hardly mattered whether he played Saturday night. Waters capped another long drive by keeping the ball on a read-option for a 5-yard score, and Jones took a carry out of the Wildcat formation virtually untouched for a 15-yard touchdown run and a 21-0 lead.

Conque benched his son after three poor drives, and Minden quickly led the Lumberjacks to a touchdown. But the quarterback was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct — he “shushed the crowd,” referee Reggie Smith said — and resumed sitting on the bench until late in the third quarter.

By that point, Waters had scored on a quarterback sneak and thrown a soft fade pass to Cook in the corner of the end zone, and Jones had scored on a 4-yard run to make it 42-10.

The game getting out of hand, Minden went back in for Stephen F. Austin. He completed a pair of passes before Johnson broke loose down the sideline for his crowd-quieting touchdown run.

As the fourth quarter ticked away, Snyder decided to rest his starters, and one of the worst defenses in the FCS still couldn’t stop the Wildcats. Backup quarterback Joe Hubener threw a 15-yard TD pass to Steven West as fans began to empty the stadium.

“We won, obviously. Now we have to check out the film and see how much we can improve,” Kansas State defensive end Ryan Mueller said. “We know we have a lot of work to do and we’re going to handle those adjustments.”

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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