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Brees, Saints slipping with 38-17 loss at Cowboys

By WTOP Staff

STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints provided another indication of just how things are going in the wrong direction this season.

They can’t even get a boost playing the Dallas Cowboys.

A year after piling up an NFL-record 40 first downs and a team-record 625 total yards against the Cowboys at home, New Orleans trailed by 28 points and was without a touchdown into the fourth quarter Sunday night in a 38-17 loss at Dallas.

“We struggled offensively, defensively, kicking game, coaching,” coach Sean Payton said. “There’s not going to much good to see in this film. We’re 1-3 right now, and that’s about how we’re playing.”

Brees wound up throwing for a season-high 340 yards on 32-of-44 passing, but his two touchdown passes came on consecutive drives in the fourth quarter after the Saints were already down 31-3.

“At the end of the day when you look at this game, the entire game, we got beat,” Brees said. “We got beat in every facet of it.”

All three of the Saints’ losses have been on the road — they opened with an overtime loss at Atlanta, then Cleveland kicked a winning field goal with 3 seconds left.

They were coming off a win over Minnesota in their home opener, not allowing a touchdown in that game, but followed that with a Sunday night dud — and far different than the prime-time dominance over Dallas 10 months ago.

“It’s challenging. It’s disappointing. It’s frustrating,” Payton said. “But it’s on all of us now. It’s on me. It’s on our staff. It’s on the team. Obviously, it’s not where you want to be one quarter through the season. We’ve got to look closely at the reasons why we’re not winning.”

The Saints had won eight of the previous nine games in the series, the lone loss in that span coming at home in 2009 when the Cowboys won 24-17 after New Orleans had started that season 13-0.

Brees had led them to three consecutive wins against Dallas since then. He was especially good in the last two, completing a combined 71 of 94 passes for 838 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions.

This time, Brees’ pass was picked off when Bruce Carter tipped a ball that was grabbed by fellow linebacker Justin Durant with about 5 minutes left in the first half.

Two plays later, DeMarco Murray ran 15 yards for a touchdown to give the Cowboys a 17-0 lead. Tony Romo’s second TD pass to Terrance Williams, a 23-yarder with 19 seconds left, made it 24-0 at halftime.

“All of a sudden instead of going in at halftime down 10-0 or even, hey, if we can march that down and at least get some points, then momentum’s on our side coming out the second half,” Brees said.

Murray, the NFL’s leading rusher, joined Emmitt Smith as the only Dallas running backs with 100 yards in the first four games of a season, and he didn’t fumble in the first quarter for the first time this season. He ran 24 times for 149 yards.

Brees had only 84 yards passing, and the Saints 114 total, at halftime.

But the former Texas high school star got going in the second half at the $1.2 billion home of the Cowboys, about 200 miles from his high school home in Austin.

Brees had 256 of his 340 yards passing after halftime, but it was 31-3 before his TDs of 12 yards to Josh Hill and 13 yards to Jimmy Graham in the fourth quarter.

With a chance to get even closer than 31-17, a drive stalled midway through the fourth quarter. Punter Thomas Morstead was then tackled for a 2-yard loss while trying to throw a pass on a fake punt, and the Cowboys took advantage when Romo threw an 18-yard TD to Dez Bryant six plays later.

“I think we’re a different team than we were last year,” Romo said. “What you find is you forget it’s the Saints and Drew Brees and just go play.”

Notes: Saints starting left tackle Terron Armstead didn’t return after sustaining a concussion in the first half. … Dallas had 445 yards against former Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who directed the scheme that led to one of the franchise’s worst offensive performances in years last season, about 10 months after they fired him.

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://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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