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Jennings rushes for 176 yards, Giants beat Texans

By WTOP Staff

TOM CANAVAN
AP Sports Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — With his team desperate to win, Tom Coughlin lightened the mood for the New York Giants during the week.

There was music — certainly not from the 68-year-old coach’s era — at practice. A punt catching competition was held and there were some laughs. It turned to smiles and a W on Sunday against the Houston Texans with some old-fashioned football.

Rashad Jennings ran for a career-high 176 yards and a touchdown and Eli Manning threw two TD passes as the Giants overcame some early mistakes and beat the suddenly error-prone Texans 30-17.

The victory not only put some life back into the Giants (1-2), it also ended any chance of a second straight 0-6 start for Coughlin’s team, which has missed the playoffs the past two seasons.

“It’s good to get that first win,” said Manning, who was 21 of 28 for 234 yards and no interceptions. “We didn’t want to go through (0-6) again. The coaches and everybody didn’t get too uptight. With coach keeping his cool, bringing a little excitement to practice, it helped the players just relax. We said: ‘It’s Sunday. Just go play football. Don’t worry about being perfect or doing everything exactly. Just play the game you love.'”

Manning joked about the music played on Friday.

“We just stole it off Coach Coughlin’s iPad,” he said. “You know, early ’90s rap.”

The Giants got a lot of contributions. Victor Cruz made a 26-yard touchdown catch, his first since Game 4 of last season, and danced the salsa. The defense intercepted three of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s passes, and the special teams unit blocked a punt, setting up Manning’s second TD.

“This was huge for us, knowing we had to get this game and get this one under our belts with a short week and not wanting to look ahead,” said Cruz, who quipped that he had to remember how to salsa after his score. “We had to take care of this one and get ready for Washington (Thursday night).”

Fitzpatrick, who had not thrown an interception this season, threw a 44-yard scoring pass to Damaris Johnson and ran for another score for the Texans (2-1), who played without halfback Arian Foster (hamstring).

Houston came in tied for the league lead with a plus-5 turnover differential. The Giants were at the other end of the spectrum at minus-6 with no takeaways.

“We’re not going to win any games when I play like that, especially in the first half with the turnovers,” said Fitzpatrick, who was 20 of 34 for 289 yards. “Sometimes interceptions happen, but it was just poor play by me.”

On Sunday, the Giants won the turnover battle, got pressure from their front four and dominated the Texans’ defensive front in rushing for 193 yards in a much-needed win.

New York outgained Houston 262-83 in the first half in taking a 14-0 lead on the touchdown pass to Cruz and a 1-yard run by Jennings, which was set up by Antrel Rolle’s 25-yard interception return to the Texans 2.

The lead should have been a larger. Tight end Larry Donnell fumbled at the Texans 4 in the first quarter after a reception, and Pro Bowl long snapper Zak DeOssie rolled one past holder Steve Weatherford on a short field-goal attempt in the second.

Houston added to its woes early in the third quarter, going for a first down on a fourth-and-1 from its own 46 and failing.

Brown hit a 39-yard field goal to make it 17-0 before Houston rallied behind Fitzpatrick. Three passes to DeAndre Hopkins set up a field goal, and Johnson’s TD closed the gap to 17-10 with 2:13 left in the quarter.

Jennings, who carried 34 times, had three rushes for 28 yards as the Giants drove for a field goal to extend the lead to 20-10 early in the fourth.

Damontre Moore blocked Shane Lechler’s punt to give New York the ball at the Houston 29, and Manning and Fells hooked up for touchdown for the second straight week.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted Fitzpatrick on the next series, setting up Brown’s final field goal.

NOTES: Jennings’ previous career high was 150 yards vs. Houston last season while playing for Oakland. … The Texans had not allowed a sack in their first two games. The Giants got two and had five quarterback hurries. … Jameel McClain, who replaced Jon Beason at middle linebacker had a team-high 11 tackles and half a sack. … New Jersey native Brian Cushing had a game-high 17 tackles. … J.J. Watt had a sack and two tackles for losses. … Alfred Blue had 78 yards on 13 carries, starting for Foster. … Prince Amukamara also had an interception for New York. … Johnathan Joseph had a fumble recovery for the Texans.

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

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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