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No. 1 Florida St survives against No. 22 Clemson

By WTOP Staff

KAREEM COPELAND
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — No. 1 Florida State seemed destined to lose with its Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston standing on the sideline, suspended and relegated to cheerleader.

Sean Maguire hung in with an up-and-down effort as Winston’s replacement and Florida State escaped with a 23-17 overtime victory Saturday night over No. 22 Clemson, but every miscue by the backup-turned-starter was a reminder that the face of the program was wearing street clothes and a ball cap.

Winston was suspended for the game against Clemson (1-2, 0-1 ACC) after making “offensive and vulgar” comments earlier this week on campus. Interim President Garnett S. Stokes and athletic director Stan Wilcox announced the decision to extend the half-game benching to a full game late Friday night. There had been criticism that the original punishment for Winston’s latest embarrassing off-field incident was too light.

Wilcox declined to comment on the Winston suspension. Winston was not made available after the game, but Fisher said he would be the ‘Noles quarterback again on Monday.

“I don’t condone any of the comments Jameis made earlier this week, or how and where he chose to make them,” Fisher said after the game. “He knows that, our team knows that. We spoke a lot about that throughout the week internally and with the administration.

“At the end of the day we felt the one game made the most sense. I chose to keep that process internal. Now he’s served that punishment and he’s ready to move forward. .,.. You never know at the pace that kids learn or why they make mistakes. Our hope and belief is that Jameis will learn from this and use better judgment.”

Things looked dire after Maguire had thrown an interception that gave Clemson the ball in FSU territory with 2:14 left in the fourth. Doak Campbell Stadium was silent as the defending national champions were staring at their first loss since the 2012 season.

A fumble by Clemson and a questionable overtime decision by Tigers coach Dabo Swinney helped the Seminoles avert the upset.

Karlos Williams bounced around the outside for a 12-yard touchdown to win it for Florida State, which has won a school-record 19 straight games.

“We challenged our guys to find out who we are,” Fisher said. “We’re not where we want to be, but we do know who we are.”

Maguire had never started a collegiate game and had only thrown 26 passes in his career. Now he was facing a conference rival in a game that has sent the winner to the ACC championship each of the last five years.

Fisher said they changed everything once they learned Winston wouldn’t be available for the second half. Coaches had a whole different package waiting for the team’s best player.

Clemson, still, had enough missed opportunities to let Florida State (3-0, 1-0) escape.

The last Clemson misstep in crucial spot came in OT.

Swinney declined to attempt a 33-yard field goal on the first possession and Adam Choice was stuffed for no gain on fourth-and-1. Two plays later, Williams went practically untouched into the end zone.

“Fourth and a foot. 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.

“Some crazy things happen in football and you have to go through it.”

Clemson kicker Ammon Lakip had missed two short field goals earlier in the game.

Maguire was regularly pressured by a loaded Clemson defensive line and completed 21 of 39 passes for 305 yards with two interceptions and a 74-yard touchdown to Rashad Greene to tie it at 17 with 6:04 left in the fourth. Winston was one of the first guys on the sideline to greet Greene after the receiver got free deep.

Greene finished with a game high 135 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions.

“We were able to keep him calm, keep him composed and just trust us that we trusted him,” Greene said.

The two teams went into overtime after a fourth quarter of mishmash, game-changing plays on both sides. Clemson freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson threw a beautiful 39-yard pass in between two defenders, caught by a diving Mike Williams to set up a 2-yard touchdown run by the quarterback.

Maguire’s late pick gave Clemson the ball in FSU territory, but C.J. Davidson was stripped by Eddie Goldman and the ‘Noles recovered at 1:36 inside the Florida State 20, and then played for OT.

“(Winston) told me he’s proud of me,” Williams said. “He’s a great leader. He did something you really don’t’ see in a lot of starting quarterbacks, which is rally behind the backup.”

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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