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Bills fall short with 23-17 loss in Houston

By WTOP Staff

BERNARDO FALLAS
Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — For all the talk of development of their offense, the Buffalo Bills failed to see enough of it on Sunday against the Houston Texans.

Second-year quarterback EJ Manuel threw as many interceptions as he did touchdown passes, and the Bills fell 23-17 to the Texans for their second straight loss.

They had a solid defensive performance that included forcing three turnovers, including two interceptions but failed to overcome another flat performance by Manuel and the rest of the offense.

“We concentrate a lot on progression with the quarterback,” Bills coach Doug Marrone said. “But … we need progression in three areas: making sure we protect well; making sure we catch some of them; and making sure we throw some of them to better spots.”

Under pressure all afternoon, Manuel finished with 225 yards passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Bills (2-2).

“Very disappointing,” Manuel said. “We weren’t clicking like I think we needed to. Just have to move on, process it and learn from it.”

Manuel’s first interception was a momentum-changer.

Houston (3-1) was down by three in the third quarter and Ryan Fitzpatrick had just thrown a second interception when JJ Watt, Houston’s 6-foot-5, 289-pound star defensive end, returned an interception 80 yards to put the Texans up 14-10.

The second was also costly.

Buffalo was driving late when Darryl Morris picked off Manuel at the Houston 15 to secure the victory.

However, Marrone didn’t place all the blame on Manuel.

“There were some balls that we could have caught during that game,” Marrone said. “That’s why I say it’s a combination of those three things.”

“It’s not just a one player fix,” he continued.

Manuel got the Bills within 20-17 when he hit a wide-open Mike Williams for an 80-yard touchdown with about nine minutes left.

Randy Bullock had a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter and added field goals of 55 and 50 yards in the fourth for Houston.

Defense kept the Bills in the game.

Kyle Williams tipped Fitzpatrick’s pass at the line and it was intercepted by Nigel Bradham on the first play of the second half.

“We hear a lot of stats saying if you get three turnovers or four turnovers your chance of winning are high, but anything can happen in one play,” Bills safety Aaron Williams said.

That play came at the hands of Watt, whose interception came three plays after Bradham’s pick when he got his hands on the pass to tip it to himself. Kareem Jackson blocked Manuel at the start of the return and Watt went all the way to the end zone.

“We’ve got to get that throw over his head,” Marrone said. “He made a play, and a key of ours was to make sure he wasn’t going to make that big disruptive play prior to the game, and he did, and he made a lot of plays.”

A TD reception by DeAndre Hopkins capped the first drive where the Texans mustered any offense, and they had negative yards rushing until late in the second quarter.

“They made the plays when it counted,” Aaron Williams said. “We didn’t.”

Andre Johnson lost a fumble early in the second quarter and left tackle Duane Brown and defensive tackle Marcell Dareus got into a scuffle. Brown got a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness.

The Bills took advantage when Sammy Watkins got in front of Morris for a 5-yard reception to make it 10-0. Fred Jackson had a nifty 14-yard run up the middle in that drive as he faked one defender before making three other Texans miss.

The Texans gave the ball right back when Leodis McKelvin intercepted Fitzpatrick on Houston’s next play. McKelvin was behind Hopkins and out jumped him. It was his second interception this season.

NOTES: Houston’s Arian Foster played after missing last week with a hamstring injury and said he wasn’t “100 percent” healthy. He was limited to eight carries for 6 yards, but gained 55 yards on seven receptions. … Bradham and defensive tackle Kyle Williams left with knee injuries and didn’t return. Marrone didn’t have an update on their condition after the game.

___

AP NFL websites: –www.pro32.ap.org and –www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

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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