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Clemson misses chance knock off No. 1 Florida St

By WTOP Staff

BRENT KALLESTAND
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney gambled Saturday night and lost.

Swinney eschewed a field-goal attempt for the lead in overtime against No. 1 Florida State knowing the Seminoles have an All-America kicker.

Turned out top-ranked Florida State didn’t need Roberto Aguayo to finish off the Tigers. Karlos Williams ran 12 yards on the second play of Florida State’s overtime possession to give the Seminoles a 23-17 win despite being outplayed for most of the night by their Atlantic Coast Conference rival.

“Great teams find a way to win,” Swinney said. “They’ve won 19 games in a row, and we’re not quite there.”

But Swinney’s decision to not go for the lead in OT will be debated.

“That’s on me,” Swinney said. “We didn’t come here to play patsy. We missed a couple of kicks and, obviously, that had something to do with it.”

Clemson (1-2, 0-1 ACC) had many chances in addition to the coaching decision to forego the field goal try by Ammon Lakip, who had missed twice earlier. His first miss came on a play after Clemson quarterback Cole Stoudt underthrew a wide open Jordan Leggett for what have been a touchdown.

The Tigers failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity to get the lead late in regulation when Florida State’s Eddie Goldman stripped the ball from C.J. Davidson at the Seminoles’ 14 with just over a minute left.

“It was a game of missed opportunities,” Swinney said. “It’s a tough loss for the Clemson Tigers. We have to finish. Tonight we had to play five quarters and finish.”

Clemson was on the verge of defeating a top-ranked team for the first time in its long football history and avenge one of one of its most embarrassing losses at the same time. A year ago it was all Florida State in a 51-14 runaway on Clemson’s turf. And the Seminoles played Saturday night without Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston, who was suspended after a profane and vulgar outburst in front of many students on the Florida State campus Wednesday.

Instead the Seminoles (3-0, 1-0 ACC) took a big step toward winning the Atlantic Division of the ACC with their victory leaving Clemson to hope it can run the table in conference play and Florida State lose twice.

It looked for most of the game that Florida State might be on the outside looking in.

Clemson spent much of the first half blowing through a porous Seminole offensive line, stuffing a Florida State running game and pressuring sophomore quarterback Sean McGuire, who was making his starting debut in place of the suspended Winston. McGuire was a chilly 6-of-17 for 106 yards in the first half before hitting on 15 of 22 throws for 199 yards and a touchdown in the second half.

Clemson dominated the first half on both sides of the ball. They had 249 yards offense to only 84 for Florida State, which couldn’t get any running game and were mostly unable to protect McGuire. Mario Pender was the lone Seminole with positive rushing yardage in the opening half a 3-yard gain on his lone rushing attempt.

“We wore them down,” Florida State’s Williams said. “The run game wasn’t there the whole night, but I believe the more we ran the ball and took those three or three yards gains, we wore them down.”

Swinney did see some positives in taking the Seminoles to overtime just a year after Florida State crushed the Tigers 51-14 at Clemson in a game that ignited Florida State’s unbeaten run to the national title.

“We’re one-and-two, but we’re getting better,” he said. “We’ll grow. We’ll get better.”

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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