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Cougars make adjustments heading into Nevada game

By WTOP Staff

SCOTT SONNER
Associated Press

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada’s seniors set out to spread a unified message to younger teammates in a shortened week leading up to Friday night’s matchup with Washington State: Don’t fear the big boys.

“They kind of have that Pac-12 intimidation factor going for them,” said Wolf Pack defensive end Brock Hekking. “We’ve tried to reach out to the younger guys and get them to realize we’ve faced Pac-12 opponents before … and won. There’s no need to have that fear.”

Maybe easier said than done given the scary numbers Washington State senior quarterback Connor Halliday and his fleet of speedy receivers put up week in and week out.

Halliday was 40-of-56 for 532 yards and five touchdowns in last week’s 41-38 season-opening loss to Rutgers in Seattle.

“They are an explosive team,” second-year Nevada coach Brian Polian said. “We’ll definitely have our hands full.”

Nevada counters with senior quarterback Cody Fajardo, who passed for 303 yards and ran for 68 in Saturday’s 29-19 season-opening win over Southern Utah.

Hekking made his first start in Nevada’s last win over a Pac-12 opponent, at California in 2012. But he remembers his debut as a freshman the year before when he “absolutely” was intimidated and blew an assignment on his second play, leading to a 69-yard touchdown in a 69-20 loss at Oregon.

“They had me on the wheel route — ‘Brock, you go the wheel route,'” Hekking said. “And as soon as they said ‘hike,’ everything just froze. I saw the quarterback so I just ran after him. They threw it over, scored a touchdown. Got yelled at.”

“Once you get that out of your system, things flow a little bit better. … I wish someone would have reached out to me when I was young and told me that.”

Washington State coach Mike Leach said he was glad 16 Cougars who had never started before got significant playing time last week. He said inexperience in the defensive backfield is his biggest concern.

“Most of them played pretty good for their first time,” Leach said. “We’ve got a lot of people we’ve got to break in but we’re definitely better. … (Nevada’s) guys are an older team.”

Things to watch as Nevada hosts Washington State:

QUALITY QUARTERBACKS: Leach said Halliday proved himself one of the best quarterbacks in the nation last year when he led Washington State to its first bowl game in a decade, passing for a school-record 4,597 yards and 34 touchdowns.

Fajardo’s 371 yards of total offense last week leave him 32 shy of joining Colin Kaepernick (2007-10) and David Neill (1998-01) in Nevada’s 10,000 yard club. He completed 68 percent of his passes last year for 2,668 yards with 13 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

RUNNING COUGARS, NOT: Washington State only ran the ball eight times last week and Polian expects more of the same.

“They are going to do what they do,” he said.

He hopes his rushing attack can keep the Cougars’ hurry-up offense off the field — at least in spurts — to give his defense a chance to catch its breath. “Obviously, we’ve got to try to slow them down … try to make their offense go a long way and not give up explosives.”

DON’T COUNT YOUR TOUCHDOWNS: Leach’s last trip to Reno was with Texas Tech in a 35-19 victory in 2008 that was expected to be a shootout with Kaepernick going against a Texas Tech squad that featured wideout Michael Crabtree, now his 49ers teammate.

“It was a funny game,” Leach said. “Supposed to be a huge offensive shootout and both defenses played extremely well.”

SHAKING UP SECONDARY: Washington State’s defense gave up a long touchdown pass on Rutger’s first play from scrimmage last week, and coaches have decided to shake up the inexperienced secondary.

Defensive backs Tracy Clark and Teondray Caldwell are no longer in the starting lineup. Charleston White and Darius Lemora will start instead.

SCENIC ENVIRONMENT: Nevada is hoping to approach a sellout at 29,993-seat Mackay Stadium with a whiteout planned for the ESPN broadcast. “It’s an interesting environment, sort of a scenic place,” Leach said. “The locker room you literally come out in the crowd. You’ve got fans right beside you screaming and hollering.”

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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