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No. 19 Badgers hold off South Florida 27-10

By WTOP Staff

GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Melvin Gordon decided to speak up with Wisconsin off to another lackluster start.

The star tailback couldn’t take it anymore while jogging back to the locker room with the Badgers tied at 3 at the half with South Florida.

His teammates listened. The blocking picked up to help spring Gordon for two touchdown runs that helped No. 19 Wisconsin hold off the Bulls 27-10 on Saturday.

Gordon had company at the half. Six-foot-8 right tackle Rob Havenstein offered some words, too.

“Me and Big Rob, we were walking in and Iike, ‘We’ve got to talk to these guys,'” Gordon said. “We felt we needed to rally our offense together and speak up and we motivated those guys, and obviously we were a different team in the second half.”

Gordon finished with 181 yards and 32 attempts, amassing 131 yards after halftime. He scored on carries of 7 and 43 yards on the Badgers’ first two drives of the second half after running room finally opened up.

The blockers looked rejuvenated. Gordon pleaded with receivers to come up with catches. He took responsibility himself to execute better in the run game.

Gordon, who finished with 32 carries on the day, found more room after halftime.

The 43-yard touchdown run with 8:04 in the third quarter was vintage Gordon. He broke two tackles before shuffling his feet to freeze safety Lamar Robbins for a second, a move that allowed Gordon to dart left untouched the rest of the way into the end zone.

“They came out fired up and got the momentum and we kind of dragged off,” South Florida defensive back Jamie Byrd said. Byrd and Nate Godwin each finished with 14 tackles.

The Bulls (2-3) put together an admirable effort in their first road contest of the year, getting to within 17-10 midway through the third quarter on Rodney Adams’ 26-yard touchdown run off a reverse.

But Wisconsin (3-1) inched away in the final 20 minutes to extend its nonconference winning streak at home to 32 games.

The Badgers pounced on a South Florida turnover to start the fourth quarter with a clock-eating drive that put the game away.

The Bulls thought they had a big gain into the red zone after Mike White connected with Kennard Swanson for a 52-yard completion. But Swanson fumbled following a lunging hit by freshman safety Lubern Figaro. Linebacker Vince Biegel recovered at the 10.

“We could have busted it in there and been within three points in the ball game and who knows after that,” Bulls coach Willie Taggart said.

From there, Wisconsin marched 90 yards in 18 plays on a series that ended with Tanner McEvoy’s 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sam Arneson with 5:17 left for a 17-point lead.

Still, the offense remains a work in progress with Big Ten play beginning next week at Northwestern. That’s three straight weeks now in which coach Gary Andersen’s offense has started off sluggish.

“It just felt like we were leaving opportunities out there on the field. You just can’t do that,” Andersen said.

South Florida won the matchup in the trenches in the first half, even with starting defensive tackle Todd Chandler missing the game with an eye injury. When Wisconsin ball carriers did slip through, they were met by a gaggle of Bulls flying to the ball.

Gordon was credited with a fumble for a second straight week, though he was hit on the play right as we taking the handoff. Center Dan Voltz took the blame for failing to pick up slanting defensive lineman Elkino Watson, and the Bulls recovered at their own 5 late in the second quarter.

“I don’t think that there’s any running back in the history of the world that would have any chance of not fumbling that football,” Andersen said.

The turnover got the Bulls “just talking at the mouth after that. We missed some points on that,” Gordon said.

One more missed opportunity that put Gordon over the edge.

The coaches remained calm at the half, Gordon and Havenstein gave the motivational speeches.

Was Gordon angry?

“Very angry. Very angry,” backup running back Corey Clement said with a smile. “You could tell when he scored on the opening drive of the second half.”

White was 8 of 19 for 173 yards. South Florida running back Marlon Mack, who was averaging 125 yards a game coming into the afternoon, was held to 34 yards on 10 carries.

___

Follow Genaro Armas at http://twitter.com/GArmasAP

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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