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No. 6 Texas A&M rallies for 35-28 OT win over Hogs

By WTOP Staff

STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Kenny Hill and No. 6 Texas A&M provided quite a late thrill.

After throwing two long touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, Hill hit Malcome Kennedy for a 25-yard score on the first play of overtime and Julien Obioha made the game-ending defensive stop for the undefeated Aggies in a 35-28 victory over Arkansas on Saturday.

“We just made the connection on that one,” Hill said of the game-winning pass. “They had the defender getting there late, and I threw it to him. He took care of the rest.”

Johnny Manziel was on hand with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns on a bye week, and the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner got to see his Aggies improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2001. He also provided plenty of encouragement for Hill, who was 21 for 41 for 386 yards and four touchdowns.

“He was just kind of trying to get us pumped,” Hill said. “He was doing the same thing, telling me, ‘You got this. You got this. Go lead this team down there.’ And then right after the game he was saying, ‘Great game! I love you, bro.'”

The Aggies (5-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) trailed 28-14 before Hill hit Edward Pope for an 86-yard pass when defensive back Jared Collins fell down and left the receiver running all alone. Hill then found Josh Reynolds for a tying 59-yard TD with 2:08 left, only two plays after Arkansas missed a field goal.

Texas A&M had a chance to end the game in regulation, getting the ball back with 1:18 left and no timeouts. Kennedy’s 13-yard catch provided a quick first down, but the Aggies let the clock run out when facing fourth-and-13 short of midfield — before Kennedy caught the quick strike in overtime.

“In order to win a game like that, it takes a complete team. Every phase had its poor moments in the first half. Offensively, we were a beat off. Defensively, we gave up some big plays, and special teams, we gave up a fake,” coach Kevin Sumlin said. “Our defense stopped them not just in overtime, but on the last couple series.”

On its overtime possession, Arkansas (3-2, 0-2) had fourth-and-1 when a handoff went to Alex Collins, who finished with 131 yards rushing. But Collins was stuffed at the line by Obioha, who was quickly joined by a swarm of Aggie defenders.

“I didn’t do anything different. The running back bounced to my side,” Obioha said.

Arkansas (3-2, 0-2), the only unranked team in the SEC West, has lost 14 consecutive conference games since 2012.

This one was particularly painful.

The Razorbacks had a touchdown pass in the second quarter wiped out by a holding call against Dan Skipper, and a tripping penalty on the left tackle in the final period erased a 55-yard run by Jonathan Williams to the Aggies 3.

The Razorbacks wound up punting after both penalties, the second leading to Pope’s second TD catch, the 86-yarder that sparked the A&M comeback.

“A lot of things that caused us to lose this game today came from within our locker room,” Razorbacks coach Bret Bielema said. “Our third edge we talk about is playing clean, and that means playing penalty-free. … The good news is we can correct those things. Our guys did several things throughout the course of the game to get excited about. But obviously, not enough to close it.”

Australian punter Sam Irwin-Hill ran 51 yards for a tiebreaking touchdown on a fake punt, and Brandon Allen turned a fake handoff into an easy scoring pass for the Razorbacks, who haven’t beaten an SEC opponent since a 49-7 win over Kentucky on Oct. 13, 2012.

Allen was 15-of-27 passing for 199 yards, including his 44-yard TD to wide-open AJ Derby after the quarterback faked a handoff, and then briefly held the ball to his side before throwing downfield for a 28-14 lead with 5 minutes left in the third.

The big run by Irwin-Hill put the Razorbacks up 21-14 at halftime. On fourth-and-10 just short of midfield, he took the snap and swept left to a wide-open part of the field. Several teammates caught up and ran with him to the end zone, and it appeared that only one Texas A&M player even got a hand on the sprinting punter.

“They gave us a look that we wanted. … And I triggered it,” Bielema said. “Good job on some downfield blocks, but obviously not enough to win the game.”

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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