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No. 2 Oregon holds off Washington State, 38-31

By WTOP Staff

NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Oregon coach Mark Helfrich had one word to describe Marcus Mariota’s play against Washington State: “Ridiculous.”

Mariota threw for 329 yards and five touchdowns to stay in contention for the Heisman Trophy and help Oregon hold off Washington State 38-31 Saturday night in a matchup of two of the top offenses in the nation.

Mariota completed 21 of 25 passes without an interception and also rushed for 58 net yards despite being sacked seven times.

“He did a great job of rattling the defense in the second half,” Helfrich said. “The guy is special.”

Devon Allen and Keanon Lowe each had two touchdown receptions for Oregon (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12). Allen caught seven passes for 142 yards.

“A road win in this conference is hard,” Helfrich said after the Ducks rallied to beat Washington State for the eighth consecutive time. “We are 4-0 and we got a big win on the road.

“There was a ton of adversity,” Helfrich said.

Connor Halliday threw for 436 yards and four touchdowns, completing 43 of 63 passes, for Washington State (1-3, 0-1). The Cougars, who boast the nation’s top passing attack, came into the game as 24-point underdogs but kept it close in an entertaining game.

“I thought we took a step in the right direction today,” WSU coach Mike Leach said. “I thought we played extremely hard the entire game.”

Washington State played stout defense in the first half, sacking Mariota five times and recording seven tackles for losses, while holding the Ducks to a total of 210 yards. The score was tied 21-all at halftime.

However, the Cougars’ offense stalled in the second half, as the Ducks outscored them 17-10 to take the win.

Oregon drove to the Cougars’ 15 on the first drive of the second half, but Matt Wogan missed a 32-yard field goal.

The Ducks then recovered a fumble by Washington State’s Jamal Morrow on its own 35. On fourth-and-10, Mariota ran for 28 yards to the 8-yard line. On the next play he threw a touchdown pass to Pharaoh Brown for a 28-21 lead with 4:32 left in the third.

WSU replied with an 87-yard drive that ended with Quentin Breshears’ 30-yard field goal to pull to 28-24 early in the fourth.

However, Oregon marched down to the WSU 17, where Wogan kicked a 34-yard field goal to extend the lead to 31-24 with 11:04 left.

Halliday then led the Cougars on a 75-yard drive, with a 54-yard pass to Morrow covering most of the distance. River Cracraft caught a 5-yard touchdown pass in the end zone to tie the score at 31-31 with 8:57 to go.

Oregon came right back with a 79-yard drive in nine plays, with Mariota passing to Lowe for a 6-yard touchdown pass and a 38-31 lead with 5:33 left.

The Cougars weren’t done, as Halliday’s 34-yard pass to Vince Mayle brought WSU to the Oregon 35. But Washington State stalled and turned the ball over on downs with 3:34 left.

“I’m real proud of the way we played in the second half,” Oregon center Hroniss Grasu said. “We played our game.”

The Ducks finished with 501 yards of total offense, while Washington State had 499 yards.

Last year, Halliday threw the ball an NCAA-record 89 times as Oregon beat the Cougars 62-38 in Eugene.

Oregon beat its first three opponents this season by an average score of 52-18.

Washington State scored first, as Halliday hit Dom Williams in the back of the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

The Cougars had a chance to extend the lead but Breshears hit the left upright on a 29-yard field goal attempt.

Oregon took over on its 20 and Mariota connected with Allen at midfield on the first play, and Allen outran the defense for an 80-yard touchdown play that tied the score.

Washington State regained the lead on its next possession as Halliday hit Williams in the end zone with an 8-yard scoring pass on 4th and 2. Halliday threw for 167 yards in the first quarter.

Mariota threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Lowe to tie the score at 14-all early in the second quarter.

After the Cougars turned the ball over on downs at the Oregon 31 on their next possession, Mariota ran for 41 yards on the Ducks’ first play. He later threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Allen in the end zone to give Oregon its first lead at 21-14 with just under 9 minutes left in the first half.

Washington State replied with a 14-play drive that covered 74 yards, with Halliday connecting with Rickey Galvin on a 6-yard pass to tie the score at 21-all with 2:47 left in the half. The drive was aided by facemask and pass interference penalties against Oregon.

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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