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Cardinals go to 3-0 with 23-14 victory over 49ers

By WTOP Staff

BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals were supposed to backslide with the loss of starting quarterback Carson Palmer.

Quite the opposite has happened.

For the second week in a row, backup Drew Stanton directed the Cardinals to victory, this time a 24-13 triumph over the San Francisco 49ers. The win on Sunday left Arizona 3-0 and alone atop the NFC West heading into next week’s bye.

“This was a huge step to a great season ahead of us,” Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson said.

The 49ers, meanwhile, fell flat in the second half for the second week in a row. San Francisco was outscored 17-0 in the second half. For the season, opponents have outscored the 49ers 52-3 in the final two quarters. San Francisco could take heart in the fact that they started 1-2 last year, then went 10-3 the rest of the way.

“We have 13 more games left,” San Francisco fullback Bruce Miller said. “Take it one game at a time, and we’ll get back in the mix.”

Stanton threw a pair of third-quarter touchdown passes to rookie John Brown and the Cardinals’ defense stiffened in the second half. The 49ers helped out with six of their nine penalties. Overall, the 49ers were penalized 107 yards.

The Cardinals snapped a four-game losing streak against San Francisco, beating the 49ers for only the second time in 11 tries.

“We talk about making a statement in our divisional games at home,” Arizona coach Bruce Arians said, “making this a tough place to come to, and that was a big victory for us.”

Dating to last year, the Cardinals have won 10 of 12 games.

Here are things to note from the Arizona victory over San Francisco.

COMEBACK CARDINALS: The Cardinals have come back from a second-half deficit in all three of their victories. They were down 14-6 at the break on Sunday.

“Guys listening at halftime,” Arians explained, “listening to the adjustments and coming out positive. We talked about the first five minutes of the third quarter being huge … We were able to get the touchdown. From there it snowballed. The crowd was fantastic, and I can’t say enough about how they helped in the second half of these games.”

49ER PENALTIES: For the second straight week, penalties plagued San Francisco. They drew nine for 107 yards, including 30 yards worth in Arizona’s 66-yard drive for the go-ahead touchdown.

Wide receiver Anquan Boldin blasted the officiating.

“Every week is the same thing,” he said. “You send the tape in and the NFL reports back that we made a mistake, but at the same time … (it) is costing us games. At some point they need to be held accountable.”

The crucial penalties on that Arizona scoring drive were an unnecessary roughness call on linebacker Dan Skuta on Stanton, followed immediately by a roughing-the-passer call against linebacker Patrick Willis.

Skuta said he talked to Stanton after the game and the Arizona quarterback said “I knew it was a bad call.”

BROWN’S MOM: Brown is extremely close to his mother, Casandra. Palmer has joked that he calls her a thousand times a day.

And for the first time, she was there to watch him play.

“It’s a good feeling,” he said. “I just did what I have to do to make her proud.”

The speedy wide receiver from little Pittsburg State caught TD passes of 24 and 21 yards.

Brown said she had seen him play once in college.

KAEPERNICK’S GAME: The Cardinals couldn’t stop the athletic San Francisco quarterback early in the game. He completed his first nine passes, seven of them on the opening drive, when he also ran for 37 yards. Kaepernick finished 29 of 37 for 245 yards and a TD along with a team-high 54 yards rushing.

“Man, Kaepernick’s a beast,” Arizona defensive end Calais Campbell said.

San Francisco came out with no-huddle and multiple receiver sets that seemed to surprise the Cardinals.

“We hadn’t shown that before,” Kaepernick said. “It was something new. In the second half we ran it here and there.”

CROMARTIE’S KNEE: Antonio Cromartie, a big addition to Arizona’s secondary this season, left in the first half with an injured left knee.

It’s the same knee he injured in 2005, costing him an entire season at Florida State. But Cromartie downplayed its significance.

“Thank you guys for your prayers,” he said in a tweet. “But I’m fine and will (be) ready for the week 5 matchup vs the Broncos.”

NO DISTRACON: There was almost no mention of the week’s big news: the arrest of Arizona backup running back Jonathan Dwyer on domestic violence charges. He has been placed on a non-football/illness list, which means he’s paid until the legal outcome is known but he won’t play this season.

“We had a bunch of things that people from the outside looking in would see as distractions,” said Arizona safety Tony Jefferson, who had 10 tackles and a sack, “but we held our own.”

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://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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