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Coach Spurrier: South Carolina can still win SEC

By WTOP Staff

JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Steve Spurrier believes South Carolina can still win the Southeastern Conference, so he wants his Gamecocks to quickly regroup from their stunning loss to Missouri last week.

The coach said the SEC’s East Division is full of good teams — including the Kentucky team the two-loss Gamecocks face this weekend — but no dominant one.

“If we can start playing, really playing, I think it’s a good chance whoever wins the East will have two losses,” Spurrier said.

The same thing could go for the Wildcats, who broke a 17-game SEC losing streak by beating Vanderbilt last week and took Florida to triple-overtime before losing their league opener.

Spurrier has beaten the Wildcats 20 of 21 times in his career at South Carolina and Florida. But said this year’s Wildcats are a lot better than the ones he used to beat by 60 points or more while coaching the Gators.

“Kentucky Wildcats are a pretty good team. They don’t look like some of their teams 10, 15 years ago. They are very fast, athletic. I think their defense is actually nationally-ranked in all categories,” Spurrier said.

The Wildcats allowed just 139 yards in last week’s 17-7 win over Vanderbilt and is ranked fifth in the SEC allowing an average of 323 yards a game.

“They are a real talented team, on the rise,” South Carolina receiver Nick Jones said. “We have to get ready for a real grind out battle.”

Meanwhile, South Carolina was being stunned by Missouri. The Gamecocks led 20-7 with 7:25 to go and had forced the Tigers to punt on 10 straight possessions before Missouri scored two touchdowns to win.

South Carolina also got beat up in that game. Spurrier said starting quarterback Dylan Thompson didn’t practice Monday with a sore neck, and receiver Pharoh Cooper, who also takes snaps, missed drills because he banged up. Both are expected to be back at practice this week and start Saturday, Spurrier said.

While a 6-2 team winning the East still seems like a good possibility, one more loss makes things a whole lot tougher. Only three teams have won an SEC division with three league losses in 23 seasons, although one of them was South Carolina’s only East title in 2010.

Kentucky can also signal it plans to challenge in the East with a win, and coach Mark Stoops said last week’s win was the kind of confidence boost his team needs after going 2-10 in 2013 in Stoops first season.

“We know we’re better, but you still need to go see it, and you need to go prove it. That’s the beautiful thing about this game. We’ve got another opportunity to prove it. I expect us to continue to improve. I really do,” Stoops said.

Spurrier has had more success over Kentucky than any other SEC team. He is the only active coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 20 wins over a team (he also notched his 20th win over Vanderbilt two weeks ago). Most of his wins over the Wildcats have been blowouts, including the 73-7 victory in 1994 when he was at Florida and the 54-3 win in Columbia in 2011.

But Spurrier has also had a bit of luck against Kentucky. In 1993, Florida quarterbacks Terry Dean and Danny Wuerffel combined for seven interceptions before Wuerffel threw the winning TD with eight seconds left in a 24-20 victory over the Wildcats.

Overall, though, Spurrier said: “We had a lot better teams than they did back in those days.”

He hopes South Carolina will be better, or even lucky, when the teams meet this weekend.

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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