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Air Force beats mistake-prone Boise State 28-14

By WTOP Staff

ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Pro Football Writer

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) — As much as coach Troy Calhoun wanted to reject the notion that this was a signature win for his recovering program, the Air Force players didn’t deny their 28-14 domination of Boise State was the kind of statement that will reverberate across the country.

Air Force is back!

After slogging through a 2-10 season last year, the Falcons (3-1, 1-1) ended a nine-game losing skid in the Mountain West Conference with a dismantling of the two-touchdown favorite Broncos, who suffered their worst loss since joining the conference in 2011.

Weston Steelhammer had three interceptions among the Falcons’ seven takeaways, including the game-sealer after the Broncos (3-2, 1-1) had rallied for two late scores to slice their 28-point deficit in half.

“I think we were the only ones that believed we weren’t the underdogs coming into this week,” Steelhammer said. “We knew what it was going to take to beat those guys. And we did.”

Although Calhoun was his usual robotic self afterward, quarterback Kale Pearson said his coach showed more emotion in the winning locker room.

“Not many people thought we could beat Boise, and we did,” Pearson said. “So, obviously, you’re going to have to show a little emotion there.”

Not many people? How about nobody but the Falcons.

“This week we were saying, ‘Hey, let’s shock the nation.’ But we didn’t shock ourselves,” Pearson said.

Pearson rushed for a career-best 127 yards and a TD and threw a touchdown pass as the Falcons beat Boise State for the first time in three tries.

Air Force’s five interceptions were one more than the Falcons managed all of last season.

“It’s a new defense. It’s a new year,” said linebacker Jordan Pierce, who had a 56-yard interception return and a blocked field goal. “People try to compare us to last year, when we went 2-10 and our defense didn’t play too well.”

Steelhammer had two of the four interceptions thrown by Grant Hedrick before he was yanked late in the third quarter in favor of redshirt freshman Ryan Finley, who threw two late TD passes.

Conference scoring leader Jay Ajayi didn’t pick up the slack for Hedrick, fumbling the ball away twice.

“It was a rough day for the Broncos,” Boise State offensive lineman Marcus Henry said. “With two or three, it’s tough to a win a game. You’re not going to win, really, if you have more than three.

The last time Air Force forced seven turnovers was in 1992 against Wyoming.

“I have all the confidence in the world in Grant. I think he’s going to bounce back next week,” Henry said. “It was a little bit of a rough night for him, a rough night for all of us all together.”

Boise State had lost just four league games — by a combined seven points — since joining the MWC. Its biggest loss before this was by three points — 34-31 on an overtime field goal against San Diego State last season.

Finley replaced Hedrick late in the third quarter after his fourth turnover, which set up Will Conant’s short field goal that made it 20-0.

“I wanted to see Grant battle his way through it. Then it got to a point where it just felt like we needed a change,” Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said.

Jacobi Owens’ 10-yard TD run and Garrett Brown’s conversion catch made it 28-0 with 11:35 remaining.

Finley’s 2-yard pass to Alec Dhaenens with just less than 10 minutes left allowed the Broncos to avoid their first shutout since a 58-0 washout against Washington State in 1997.

Then, the Broncos made it interesting.

Tanner Vallejo recovered an Owens fumble at the Air Force 39 and, on fourth-and-goal from the 10, Finley found Shane Williams-Rhodes for a score. He dodged a tackle at the 5 and dived into the end zone, pulling Boise State to 28-14 with 6:21 remaining.

“I was getting a little nervous,” Pearson said.

Steelhammer stepped up to save the night again, picking off Finley’s pass at midfield with 1:38 left.

“Bottom line is, that many turnovers in the game it’s going to be very difficult to beat anybody,” Harsin said.

He said he couldn’t say anything definitive about his QB situation for next week at Nevada until he watches the tape to decipher what went so wrong.

Calhoun demurred when asked about this being a win his once-proud program really needed.

Pierce, however, said the message the Falcons delivered was crystal clear: “We can hang with the best of them. A lot of people think that we’re too small, too slow to compete with other teams.”

___

Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

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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