Skip to main content

Cowboys have fun at Saints’ expense in 38-17 win

By WTOP Staff

SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Sports Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jerry Jones watched what he called the best effort he’s seen in 25 years as owner of the Dallas Cowboys in the first half, and that was before Tony Romo had the longest scramble of his career and DeMarco Murray finished off yet another 100-yard game.

All the fun came against New Orleans, the team that handed Jason Garrett his worst loss in four years as Dallas coach last season.

“I had that long ride home last year, and it’s not fun,” Jones said after the Cowboys beat the Saints 38-17 Sunday night for their first 3-1 start under Garrett. “I’ve got a lot of friends there and have been New Orleans friendly all my life, but that’s a long ride when you have a night like I had in New Orleans a year ago.”

The Cowboys kept Drew Brees and the Saints scoreless in the first half after giving up an NFL-record 40 first downs in a 49-17 blowout loss in New Orleans last year.

Romo threw three touchdown passes, including two to Terrance Williams, and Murray scored twice while joining Emmitt Smith as the only Dallas running backs to start a season with four straight 100-yard games.

Murray broke a three-game streak of fumbling in the first quarter as the Cowboys won the turnover battle 3-0. He had 24 carries for 149 yards, pushing his NFL-leading total to 534.

“DeMarco is inspirational,” Jones said. “Glad to see him have a game that he didn’t turn the ball over. About the time New Orleans was thinking about getting some life, he’d go out and make those yards.”

Brees had touchdown passes to Josh Hill and Jimmy Graham early in the fourth quarter to get the Saints (1-3) to 31-17 before the Cowboys regained control.

The former Texas high school star threw for 340 yards, but had just 84 yards with an interception while Dallas was building a 24-0 halftime lead after he had 838 yards with seven touchdowns and no picks in his previous two games against the Cowboys, both wins.

“We had our chances in the second half,” Brees said. “But at the end of the day when you look at this game, the entire game, we got beat. We got beat in every facet of it.”

Things to consider after the Cowboys became the 11th NFL team — and the second-fastest — to win 500 games, playoffs included:

RUNNING ROMO: The 34-year-old Dallas quarterback showed that his surgically repaired back is coming along fine.

The Cowboys went up 31-3 in the third quarter when Romo broke free for 21 yards on third down and slid for the first down a play before Murray ran loose in the secondary, juked Jairus Byrd at the 10 and was pushed across the goal line by Corey White on a 28-yard score.

“It makes me feel old and the fact that I haven’t gotten more than 21 yards is pretty pathetic,” said Romo, whose previous long run was 17 yards despite a career known for scrambles that keep plays alive. “But other than that, it feels pretty great.”

SAINTS’ ROAD WOES: 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, 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,” coach Sean Payton said. “But it’s on all of us now. Obviously, it’s not where you want to be one quarter through the season.”

A LITTLE PAYBACK: The Cowboys had 445 yards against former Dallas 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.

Romo was 22 of 29 for 262 yards without an interception. He finished an 80-yard drive to open the game with a 6-yard pass to a leaping Williams in the end zone and found him again for 23 yards to put Dallas up 24-0 with 19 seconds left in the first half.

GAMBLE BACKFIRES: After pulling to 31-17 early in the fourth quarter, the Saints had a chance to get closer, but a drive stalled and punter Thomas Morstead was tackled for a 2-yard loss while trying to throw a pass on a fake punt. That set up Bryant’s clinching touchdown.

“Hindsight’s probably 20-20,” Payton said. “It was on the hash mark that we wanted, and they covered it pretty well.”

___

Online:

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

___

Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apschuyler

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
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote