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Buccaneers’ rally falls short in season opener

By WTOP Staff

FRED GOODALL
AP Sports Writer

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lovie Smith’s defenses pride themselves on rushing the quarterback and forcing turnovers.

The Buccaneers didn’t do either well enough in losing 20-14 to the Carolina Panthers in their debut under Tampa Bay’s third coach in five years.

The defending NFC South champions played without injured Cam Newton, but it didn’t matter with backup Derek Anderson filling in nicely for the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

“That’s not exactly how we wanted to start the season. … We didn’t do too many things right,” Smith said.

Newton was held out because of a rib injury suffered during the preseason, giving Anderson his first start since 2010 when played for the Arizona Cardinals.

The 10th-year pro had appeared in just four games and attempted only four passes over the previous two seasons playing behind Newton, who had started 48 consecutive games before learning Saturday night that coach Ron Rivera intended to sit him.

“He wasn’t very happy about it. He wanted to play so bad, in the worst way,” Rivera said. “The one thing the doctor stressed to me was that if we could create one more opportunity, he’d be that much healthier. That was the decision.”

Despite rallying with two late touchdowns, it was a sloppy debut for the Bucs (0-1). The defense applied little pressure on Anderson and failed to force a turnover.

And the offense, one of the worst in the NFL a year ago, showed few signs of improvement until midway through the fourth quarter.

“This is not what we planned on. Even when you think there’s going to be growing pains, there are still things you don’t plan for,” quarterback Josh McCown said. “I’ll own this one.”

With Newton cheering on his teammates from the sideline, Anderson completed 24 of 34 passes with no interceptions and one sack. The one-time starter for the Browns and Cardinals threw TD passes of 5 yards to Greg Olsen and 26 yards to rookie Kelvin Benjamin.

“I’ve been through a lot of different things. I haven’t been out there in four years. Just to play a solid football game and get a win was big for me,” Anderson said.

“I prepared all week like I was going to start,” he added. “I had a plan in mind, what I was going to do against different coverages, and went out there and tried to execute as best I can.”

Carolina’s defense did its part, too.

The Panthers sacked McCown three times and intercepted Smith’s hand-picked quarterback twice, both times on ill-advised throws.

McCown, a career backup who signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent, was coming off his best season as a pro in throwing for 13 TDs versus one interception filling in for an injured Jay Cutler in Chicago a year ago.

On Sunday, he was 22 of 35 for 183 yards and two TDs. Much of his production came after the Panthers built a 17-0 lead midway through the third quarter.

“I made a couple bad decisions that hurt our team and put us in a bad situation. It’s things that I can clean up and get better, so there’s no need to focus on anybody else. … Those are things I can correct, and we’ll get better as we move forward,” McCown said.

Luke Kuechly had one of Carolina’s three sacks and forced a fumble that set up Graham Gano’s 33-yard field goal in the final minute. The Bucs pulled within 17-14 on McCown’s TD throws of 19 yards to Chris Owusu and 6 yards to Bobby Rainey.

The Bucs got the ball back trailing by a field goal with 1:36 to go. But Kuechly, the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year — forced Rainey to fumble after a short reception on the next play, spoiling any hopes for a comeback.

Olsen finished with eight receptions for 83 yards, while Benjamin had six for 92 yards. Roman Harper and Antoine Cason had Carolina’s interceptions, and the Panthers limited Bucs running back Doug Martin to 9 yards rushing on nine attempts.

“We talk about the turnover ratio, and we talk about everything that went wrong throughout the game,” Smith said. “And at the end we had a chance to intercept a ball, were down three points and could have gone in for at least a field goal, and we (dropped) it.”

NOTES: The Bucs lost G Logan Mankins midway through the second quarter with a knee injury. … The Bucs rushed for 102 yards, but more than half of that came on fullback Jorvorskie Lane’s only carry. McCown scrambled for 27 yards on three attempts.

___

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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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