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No. 4 Oklahoma thrives in test at West Virginia

By WTOP Staff

JOHN RABY
AP Sports Writer

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Playing a long stretch of games away from home doesn’t stir great concern for Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and his players.

The Sooners overcame their first deficit of the season to quiet a sellout crowd at West Virginia, and now fourth-ranked Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) will use a bye week to try to build on a solid start to the season.

Oklahoma pulled away in the second half of a 45-33 win over the Mountaineers on Saturday night by slowing down West Virginia’s up-tempo offense in the second half and letting the Sooners’ 243-pound freshman running back Samaje Perine do most of the work.

Oklahoma will have another road test on Oct. 4 at TCU. The Sooners have beaten the Horned Frogs by a combined 10 points the past two seasons. Then there’s the annual neutral-site battle with Texas on Oct. 11 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Oklahoma has won there nine times since 2000 and will try to avenge a loss to the Longhorns last year.

“We don’t look at the Cotton Bowl as away from home,” Stoops said.

By the time Oklahoma plays again in Norman, on Oct. 18 against Kansas State, the Sooners will have gone five weeks between home games. That ties the 1999 season — Stoops’ first as Oklahoma’s coach — as the longest such stretch under him.

“Sometimes you have to play on the road and it’s not a big deal to us,” Stoops said. “It’s do your work and all that matters is how you play between the lines and get yourself ready to play. So we don’t make a big issue out of it.”

The Sooners had built double-digit leads in their first three games before fans had settled into their seats.

Against the Mountaineers (2-2, 0-1) in their Big 12 opener, Oklahoma trailed 24-17 just before halftime, then seized the momentum on Alex Ross’ 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Oklahoma got the ball back to start the second half, scored on one of Perine’s four touchdown runs and never trailed again. Perine finished with 242 yards on 34 carries.

“In past weeks, we’ve kind of started fast and slowed up a bit at the end,” Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight said. “Tonight we were able to turn it on in the second half.

“We knew coming in it would be tough. West Virginia had been playing great and putting up huge numbers with their passing game,” he said. “So to come into their house and win is huge for our program.”

West Virginia quarterback Clint Trickett threw for 376 yards — his fifth straight game over 300 — and the Mountaineers outgained Oklahoma 513-500. But the Sooners sacked Trickett three times, made two interceptions and recovered one of his fumbles.

Knight overcame a shaky start and finished 16-of-29 for 205 yards. Sterling Shepard caught six passes for 101 yards.

“I thought the passing game could have been better in areas but we made some big plays on third-down conversions,” Knight said. “Nothing was perfect and we have a lot of areas to improve on.”

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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