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Dantonio: MSU won’t run up score for style points

By WTOP Staff

NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — It was a winning weekend for Michigan State, even though the Spartans didn’t play.

That’s because Kirk Cousins, Brian Hoyer and Drew Stanton — all former quarterbacks at Michigan State — led their NFL teams to victory.

“I think that’s a statement of Michigan State football — what they have been able to accomplish individually and then as a group,” Spartans coach Mark Dantonio said. “When young people look at our program, they have to be able to sit there and say, ‘Yeah, you know, if I’m coming to Michigan State, we can have great success and we can go on and play at the highest level and be successful at that level as well.'”

The 11th-ranked Spartans return to the field Saturday to face Eastern Michigan, and although Michigan State lost its showdown at Oregon two weekends ago, Dantonio’s team remains highly regarded. The euphoria from last season’s Rose Bowl run hasn’t worn off. Now the question is whether the Spartans can do enough against their remaining opponents to earn a spot in college football’s four-team playoff.

“Here we are at the beginning of the season with the bye after two games, that’s very early in the process. And I think any time that’s happening, you want to play,” Dantonio said. “We want to be fresh. We want to be motivated to play and have great attention to detail, all those different things we talk about.”

Michigan State (1-1) led Oregon in the third quarter before allowing four touchdowns in the final 20 minutes of a 46-27 loss. If the Spartans win the rest of their games and take the Big Ten title, they’d probably be part of the playoff conversation, although their conference is off to a poor start this season.

Dantonio made one thing clear at his news conference Tuesday: He isn’t worried about running up huge margins of victory to impress the playoff committee.

“We are going to play to win, and after that is accomplished, we’re going to try to get our younger players playing and develop experience and depth on this football team,” he said. “I’m not interested in taking a timeout before the end of the game to get another seven points. I’m interested in playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played and letting it go.”

Oregon took a timeout before Royce Freeman’s 14-yard touchdown run on fourth down with 1:25 remaining, although Dantonio said he didn’t really take issue with that.

“I think they called a timeout because they decided to go for it on fourth-and-2, and I think it just sort of happened they scored the touchdown,” he said. “I think it was probably the smart thing to do rather than risk a field goal. … It happened that they scored the touchdown on it, but no, I didn’t hold it against them or anything like that.”

The Spartans are 45 1/2-point favorites Saturday, and it may be a little while before they’re seriously tested again. They host Wyoming next week before opening Big Ten play with a huge game against Nebraska on Oct. 4.

It may be hard for the Spartans to stay in the national consciousness until then, since they don’t have any marquee games for the rest of this month. But NFL players like Cousins (of Washington), Hoyer (Cleveland) and Stanton (Arizona) are doing their part to bring more positive publicity to the Michigan State program.

“It just tells you the kind of quarterbacks that a school like this produces,” said Connor Cook, Michigan State’s current QB. “It just shows that we have a good quarterback breeding ground — I don’t know. It kind of speaks for itself. … All good guys, with good quality character.

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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