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Virginia Tech tops Western Michigan 35-17

By WTOP Staff

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Normally, 18-point victories over nonconference opponents elicit platitudes from a head coach, but Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer was a little more reserved following his team’s win over Western Michigan on Saturday.

“I still think we’re a work in progress,” he said.

Michael Brewer threw two touchdown passes to lead the Hokies to a 35-17 victory over the Broncos, snapping a two-game slide in the process.

The win marked the first for the Hokies (3-2) since their upset victory over then-No. 8 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio. Virginia Tech wrapped up the nonconference portion of its schedule and now gears up for seven straight ACC games.

How good are the Hokies? No one really knows. Are they the team that got down 21-0 in the first quarter against ECU in a loss? Or are they the team that practically gave away a win in the loss to Georgia Tech? Or the team that stunned the Buckeyes in front of the largest crowd in Ohio Stadium history?

“I think we’re dangerous,” Virginia Tech receiver Willie Byrn said. “I truly believe that we can beat anyone if we come out and play as sharp as we did the first two weeks (wins over William & Mary and Ohio State). Today, we played sharper, but if anyone is satisfied, then it’s not going to be a good season. I don’t think anyone is satisfied.”

The Hokies scored 8 seconds into the game when backup linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka returned a fumble by Western Michigan’s Donald Celiscar on the opening kickoff 11 yards for a touchdown. Virginia Tech never trailed after that.

Brewer threw touchdown passes of 29 yards to Bucky Hodges and 7 yards to Isaiah Ford, and tailback Marshawn Williams rushed for 119 yards — his first career 100-yard game. The Hokies finished with a season-high 308 yards rushing.

Western Michigan (2-2) was held to 231 yards of offense and only 19 yards rushing. Zach Terrell completed 18 of 32 passes for 212 yards, with an interception.

Virginia Tech took control of the game with two third-quarter touchdowns. Leading 18-10, the Hokies went 80 yards in 11 plays, and took a 25-10 lead on Brewer’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Ford with 5:52 left in the quarter.

On their next possession, the Hokies went 68 yards in nine plays and scored on a 4-yard run by tailback Shai McKenzie with 9 seconds left in the quarter, for a 32-10 lead.

Virginia Tech, which entered averaging just 141.2 yards rushing per game, rushed for 227 yards in the second half alone. The Hokies finished with their most yards rushing since gaining 317 against NC State in 2010. In addition to Williams’ 119 yards, McKenzie added 87 yards and the touchdown.

“We ran the ball more,” Williams said of the second-half rushing performance. “Things started to open more, and we started to get into a groove. That was big. We just made more plays.”

“I hope when we look at it, it was us wearing them down a little bit,” Beamer said. “We’ll go back and look at it, but I’m glad to see it. I’m glad to see some cracks there and guys running down the field.”

The rushing attack was more than enough to make up for Brewer’s struggles. He completed 14 of 32 passes for 178 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Western Michigan’s two big special teams’ mistakes came less than 2 minutes into the game and put the Broncos in a hole from the start. In addition to Celiscar’s fumble on the opening kickoff, Western Michigan snapper Wyatt Pfeifer sent the ball over the head of punter J. Schroeder on the Broncos’ ensuing drive. The ball went out of the end zone for a Virginia Tech safety, giving the Hokies an 8-0 lead with 13:26 left in the first quarter.

“It doesn’t matter who you play,” Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck said. “If you spot a team eight points like that at the beginning of the game — the first play of the game — talk about your worst nightmare. You can’t have things like that happen.”

A Virginia Tech field goal by Joey Slye gave the Hokies an 11-0 lead, but Brewer — who led the ACC with eight interceptions coming into the game — threw an interception that Ronald Zamort returned to the Tech 3. That led to a 1-yard run by tailback Jarvion Franklin and the Broncos cut the lead to 11-7 with 4:15 left in the first quarter.

The score was the Broncos’ first against the Hokies in four meetings. Tech had outscored the Broncos 124-0 in the three previous games.

Brewer, though, answered on the Hokies’ next drive, throwing the 29-yard touchdown pass to Hodges, who easily scored after a Western Michigan defender fell down. That score gave the Hokies an 18-7 lead with 49 seconds left in the first quarter.

Brewer’s second interception led to a 36-yard field goal by Western Michigan’s Andrew Haldeman with 5 seconds left before halftime that cut the Hokies lead to 18-10.

The second half was all Virginia Tech. The Broncos’ lone score in the half came on a 1-yard run by Franklin with 9:06 left in the game. The Hokies amassed 310 yards of their 486 yards of offense in the second half and held the ball for nearly 20 of the game’s final 30 minutes.

“We’ve had ups and downs,” Brewer said. “It’s pretty clear we can score on anybody in the country, but then we can get beat up by anybody in the country. We’ve got to find that balance, which we will. This is a young team, with a lot of new faces. We’re going to get better as this thing moves along.”

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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