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Mississippi St. stuns No. 8 LSU, 34-29

By WTOP Staff

BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Dak Prescott’s dynamism put a dent in the Death Valley mystique and helped Mississippi State end some long, frustrating streaks.

Prescott passed for two touchdowns and ran 56 yards for another score, and the Bulldogs survived a furious fourth-quarter rally by No. 8 LSU to snap a 14-game skid in the series, 34-29 on Saturday night.

Prescott, a Louisiana native who’d also been recruited by LSU, said he accomplished “exactly what I wanted to do when I committed to Mississippi State.”

“I just stayed true to myself, trusted my teammates, trusted the coaches and we got it done,” Prescott said. “Everybody’s happy right now.”

Prescott passed for 268 yards and rushed for 105 yards in helping Mississippi State build a 34-10 fourth quarter lead that proved insurmountable, albeit narrowly. Mississippi State’s defense, which allowed only a field goal through the first three quarters, appeared to lose its edge in the final minutes, when the Tigers, led by backup quarterback Brandon Harris, struck for a pair of late touchdowns — both on passes to Malachi Dupre — in the span of 28 seconds.

The game ended with Harris attempting one more long, desperation pass for the win, but it was intercepted at the goal line by Will Redmond, who was mobbed by teammates moments later as the few LSU fans who’d stuck around fell silent.

“I probably aged seven to 10 years in the final three minutes of the game,” said sixth-year Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen. “We are trying to build a program and I’ll take it. I guess everybody can now write now I have beaten LSU and Alabama once during my career.”

Prescott not only helped the Bulldogs (4-0, 1-0 SEC) beat LSU (3-1, 0-1) for the first time since 1999, but win in Tiger Stadium for the first time since 1991 — about two years before Prescott was born.

“He ad-libbed and ran their offense extremely well,” LSU coach Les Miles said of Prescott. “Hats off to him — a very quality competitor.”

Prescott’s touchdown passes included a 74-yarder to Jameon Lewis, who had five catches for 116 yards. De’Runnya Wilson caught four passes for 91 yards, including a tough 9-yard touchdown catch along the sideline to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead. Josh Robinson rushed 16 times for 197 yards and a touchdown, as MSU piled up 570 yards, the most yield by LSU since Miles became coach in 2005.

The Bulldogs never lost their early lead, thanks to a first-quarter goal-line stand in which they stopped four straight LSU runs from the 2. Prescott then drove the Bulldogs 98 yards to make it 14-0.

“We fed off our defense’s momentum all night long and especially when they made that stop on fourth down,” Prescott said. “That was huge on the goal line. The offense has our defense’s back and vice versa.”

Mississippi State first three victories over Southern Mississippi, UAB and South Alabama hadn’t won over enough AP poll voters to get the Bulldogs into the Top 25. That’s bound to change after Mississippi State became first unranked team to win in Tiger Stadium since Mississippi did it in 2008, when LSU was ranked 18th.

The contest marked the first Southeastern Conference game in Tiger Stadium since its expansion above the south end zone, increasing capacity to more than 102,000. But with the Bulldogs leading 31-10 and driving inside the LSU 20 as the third quarter ended, fans started filing out early.

Asked if his players seemed flat, Miles spread the blame.

“It’s not necessarily just the players. I’m putting first of all the responsibility on me,” Miles said. “I know our guys on our team expect more from themselves. … They’re stung and it’s not something that they enjoyed.”

LSU’s defense, which was oozing with confidence after shutting out opponents for the equivalent of about 10 quarters, was staggered repeatedly by Prescott and Co. Mississippi State gained 20 or more yards on 10 separate plays. Those included a 66-yard run by Robinson which set up a second-quarter field goal to make it 17-0.

LSU was as close as 17-10 after defensive end Danielle Hunter returned Prescott’s fumble for a 25-yard score early in the third quarter. Prescott responded the on the next series by ripping off his long scoring run, faking defensive back Jalen Collins to the ground with a hard cutback to the right before outracing remaining pursuers to the goal line.

“There was not one bit of panic or one bit of concern,” Mullen said. “Our guys played with a lot of confidence. We made plays when we needed to. We have been doing that all year. When we need a big play, guys step up and make them.”

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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