Skip to main content

No. 5 Auburn routs Louisiana Tech, 45-17

By WTOP Staff

JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Nick Marshall and Quan Bray put a little extra flash in Auburn’s hurry-up offense.

No. 5 Auburn twice needed only a minute, give or take a couple of seconds, to score a pair of touchdowns in Saturday’s 45-17 victory over Louisiana Tech. Marshall and Bray accounted for three of them.

It was a boom-or-bust day for an offense that alternated between sputtering and exploding. Marshall threw three touchdown passes and rushed for 105 yards, while Bray scored on a 76-yard punt return and caught two touchdown passes.

One came after Marshall rolled left and reversed away from two defenders before finding Bray for a 44-yard jump ball in the end zone early in the fourth quarter.

“For some reason I had a feeling that Nick was going to be scrambling,” Bray said. “When I looked back I just saw him going around in circles. I just went up and high-pointed the ball.”

It was just one of several high points for the Tigers.

Marshall completed 10 of 17 passes for 166 yards for the Tigers (4-0) and threw for a pair of touchdowns in a 1:02 span late in the first half. Next up: No. 17 LSU visits to start a stretch against six straight ranked Southeastern Conference teams.

Bray’s final two touchdowns — on the 44-yarder and the return — came in a 53-second span. Those plays turned a competitive game into a rout against the Bulldogs (2-3), who have also lost to No. 4 Oklahoma.

Cameron Artis-Payne rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries for the Tigers.

Auburn starting linebackers Kris Frost and Cassanova McKinzy left the game with unspecified injuries, potentially bad news for a defense that had just held Kansas State to 14 points. Right tackle Patrick Miller also was hurt. None of the three returned, but coach Gus Malzahn said he didn’t know yet what their status would be against LSU.

The Tigers outgained Louisiana Tech 473-321.

The Bulldogs’ Cody Sokol completed 20 of 35 passes for 216 yards with an interception. Kenneth Dixon rushed for two touchdowns despite gaining just 29 yards on 14 carries, and Trent Taylor had eight catches for 80 yards.

“We are not walking out of here to say we are excited about a moral victory,” Bulldogs coach Skip Holtz said. “We came to compete and I thought our players did that. I thought they belonged out there. It is unfortunate that we make some of the mistakes that we do.

“I thought our players played well, and even though the score was very lopsided on the scoreboard I thought on the field it was a very competitive football game.”

Louisiana Tech produced the only points of the third quarter to pull within 24-10 before the final decisive Auburn outburst.

Auburn went three and out on its first two possessions of the second half before Marshall and Bray produced a couple of highlight reel plays, starting with the jump ball.

“It was a scramble situation,” Malzahn said. “When things break down, you have scramble rules. Nick ad-libbed there.”

Then Bray, who had three catches for 19 yards in the first three games, darted into the end zone for his second score on a punt return this season. He had 91 yards on three catches and is the first Auburn player to record two punt returns for touchdowns in a season since Mike Fuller in 1974.

Marshall had 13 carries, including a 31-yarder.

“When we were watching film, they struggled with the quarterback runs,” Marshall said. “Coach Malzahn and coach (Rhett) Lashlee told me to just trust my instincts, and that’s what I was doing the whole game: trusting my instincts and making plays with my legs.”

Bray had a 37-yard touchdown catch with 34 seconds left before halftime after D’haquille Williams made a one-handed grab of a tipped pass for an 18-yard score.

The momentum didn’t carry over coming out of the locker room for the Tigers.

Auburn’s defense supplied a spark with big plays, especially defensive lineman Montravius Adams.

Adams recovered a fumble to set up Marshall’s 37-yarder to Bray. The 306-pounder had also set up the Tigers’ first touchdown with a 37-yard interception return when the offense hadn’t gone anywhere on its first two drives.

“I was just thinking score the touchdown,” Adams said. “That’s all I was thinking. I thought I had it.”

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
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote