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Harris leads No. 17 LSU past New Mexico St, 63-7

By WTOP Staff

BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The mere sight of Brandon Harris taking the field for LSU brought a cascade of cheers from Tigers fans who had made it clear they wanted to see more of the freshman quarterback.

The way he played elicited full-throated roars, and will inevitably bring calls for Harris to get the start when LSU returns to Southeastern Conference play at No. 5 Auburn next week.

Harris led LSU to touchdowns on each of his seven series after relieving struggling sophomore Anthony Jennings, and the 17th-ranked Tigers overwhelmed New Mexico State 63-7 on Saturday night.

“This is obviously how you want to play,” Harris said. “That is what I wanted to come out and do tonight. I feel like we did it as an offensive unit and as a team.”

Harris was 11 of 14 for 178 yards and three touchdowns — a statistical line that stood in stark contrast to that of Jennings, whose seven series under center comprised arguably his worst night as a Tiger. Jennings completed two of five passes for 11 yards and no TDs while turning the ball over three times on two interceptions and a fumble.

Coach Les Miles had high praise for Harris, while adding that Jennings will “have to get better,” but stressed that he expected LSU to need both quarterbacks and declined to answer a question about who he thought should start at Auburn next weekend.

“We’re not going to operate that way,” Miles said. “We’ve kind of always done things in a measured fashion and we’ll go back and look at the film and communicate with our team.”

Harris said it was hard for him to take much pleasure in beeing cheered when he entered the game after hearing the same crowd boo several miscues by Jennings.

“It shouldn’t be the way it was tonight where we may have somebody booing him,” Harris said. “We need to all support him when he is in there. It hurt me to hear anything. I know you shouldn’t listen to all of that, but coming from me, I just don’t think it was the appropriate way to handle that situation.”

New Mexico State (2-3) trailed 28-0 before its only scoring play on backup quarterback Andrew Allen’s 79-yard touchdown run. Aggies starting quarterback Tyler Rodgers was 14 of 31 for 86 yards with two interceptions.

“Tyler was under duress all night,” New Mexico State coach Doug Martin said. “That was a hard game for any quarterback to play. At the same time, Tyler’s got to take better care of the ball.”

Despite four first-quarter turnovers, LSU (4-1) had an early 14-0 lead, thanks in part to a defensive score by sophomore linebacker Kendell Beckwith on a 27-yard interception return of Rodgers’ deflected pass.

Entering the game in the second quarter, Harris let LSU’s power running game do much of the work. Still, eight of his first nine passes were completions, and three went for touchdowns.

The righty’s most impressive throw came as he scrambled left, hitting fellow freshman Malachi Dupre with a 27-yard scoring strike.

“Brandon came out and showed his ability tonight,” Dupre said. “He and Anthony both possess unique skill sets. It was Brandon’s night.”

Harris’ other TD tosses went for 10 yards to Travin Dural and 3 yards to fullback Melvin Jones.

Freshman running back Leonard Fournette rushed for 122 yards and two TDs rushing, including a 17-yard run in which he shed tacklers near the line of scrimmage before racing free to his right.

The calls for Harris built to a crescendo following LSU’s first loss of the season to Mississippi State the previous week.

Harris entered that game without about five minutes left and led a pair of quick touchdown drives, and then got LSU in range for a Hail Mary heave, which, if successful, would have completed a miraculous comeback in a game the Tigers trailed 34-10 early in the fourth quarter.

Since Harris entered the game against the Bulldogs, he is 17 of 23 for 318 yards and five touchdowns against only one interception, which came on his Hail Mary attempt.

His touchdown runs came from 1 and 2 yards out, but the second run seemed to be the result of improvisation after he bobbled a high shotgun snap. To get to the end zone, he bowled his way through a heavy hit.

LSU finished with 363 yards rushing, including Terrence Magee’s first TD of the season on an 11-yard run. The Tigers’ 63 points tied the highest output by LSU since Miles took over as coach in 2005.

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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