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Washington loses 20-13 to No. 16 Stanford

By WTOP Staff

TIM BOOTH
AP Sports Writer

SEATTLE (AP) — Chris Petersen was at a loss on how to find some life in Washington’s offense.

So in a tie game, midway through the fourth quarter, Petersen decided the best way to try to upset No. 16 Stanford was running a fake punt on fourth-and-9.

“It was asking to get too many yards there so we should have checked out of it. … That was on me, and not on those guys, trying to create some offense somehow,” Petersen said.

The fake punt backfired, giving Stanford a short field that Kevin Hogan turned into a 5-yard touchdown with 4:29 remaining that sent the Cardinal on to a 20-13 win on Saturday.

Washington (4-1, 0-1 Pac-12) missed its chance at a 5-0 start and a validating victory after four games where it was difficult to get a read on what kind of team the Huskies were. There seems to be fewer questions about Washington’s defense after it forced three turnovers against Stanford — including Shaq Thompson’s forced fumble and 32-yard return for a tying touchdown in the second quarter.

But the worries about Washington’s offense are significant.

“On offense we’ve got to go back to the drawing board and try to get our quarterback some answers for sure,” Petersen said.

The Huskies finished with 179 total yards, including just 98 passing. It was the 10th time the Huskies were held under 200 yards since 1996 and fewest total yards since being held to 107 by Stanford in 2010.

Cyler Miles threw a 25-yard TD pass to Jaydon Mickens in the first half, but was 15-of-29 passing and was under pressure all day. He was sacked four times. The Huskies had just 81 yards rushing.

“Stanford has a great front seven and there were times that they broke through and some of those are on the line and some of those are definitely on me,” Miles said. “I’ve got to get the ball out. It’s a whole unit. We’re going to stay together after this and improve as a unit.”

Washington hung around thanks to its defense and mistakes by Stanford. Six times the Cardinal drove inside the Washington 30, but a missed field goal and fumble by Hogan never let Stanford pull away.

The Cardinal (3-1, 1-1) committed three turnovers, including Remound Wright’s fumble late in the second quarter that Thompson returned for his third defensive touchdown of the season. Marcus Peters added an interception in the third quarter.

But Petersen’s decision to run the fake punt at the Washington 47 gave life to the Cardinal. Stanford was ready and Thompson was stuffed for no gain.

Hogan ran the first three plays of the ensuing drive and a facemask penalty on Washington moved the Cardinal to the 17. Kelsey Young went for 12 yards, nearly breaking free for the score, before Hogan raced to the pylon on the next play.

“Turnovers are great. Holding them to short yardage is great but it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t get the victory,” Washington’s Hau’oli Kikaha said.

Hogan was 17-for-26 passing for 178 yards and added 53 yards rushing. Ty Montgomery had a 62-yard kickoff return to start the game and also added a 17-yard TD reception, bulling through three Washington defenders.

Stanford coach David Shaw was unhappy with the offensive performance.

“Right now, when you look at us right now we’re a semi-efficient, sloppy offense and that’s not one thing we’ve ever been known for and it’s one thing we better not be known from here on our this season,” Shaw said.

Washington had one final chance, getting the ball at its 48 with 1:49 left and no timeouts. Miles was incomplete on his first three attempts only to hit DiAndre Campbell for 11 yards on fourth down to the Stanford 41.

Miles ran 13 yards for another first down to the Stanford 28, but was later flagged for intentional grounding. On fourth-and-18, Miles was forced from the pocket and stopped after 5 yards and Stanford’s celebration started.

“We knew it would be tough sledding but certainly we thought we’d be able to do a little bit better than we did today,” Petersen said. “I think in the first half we did a few things running the ball. We did nothing in the second half running the ball. That’s playing right into those guys’ hands and usually playing into anybody’s hands when you make an offense one-dimensional like that.”

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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