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Arizona stuns Oregon for 2nd straight year, 31-24

By WTOP Staff

ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Scooby Wright was just focused on stopping Marcus Mariota.

Instead, the Arizona linebacker forced a turnover that stopped Oregon’s last drive and helped the Wildcats seal a 31-24 upset against the second-ranked Ducks on Thursday night.

Terris Jones-Grigsby plowed into the end zone from a yard out for the tiebreaking touchdown with 2:54 left. On the Ducks’ ensuing series, Mariota was sacked by Wright, who stripped the ball from the Heisman Trophy hopeful and recovered it himself.

Arizona then gained a clinching first down on the ground and ran out the clock.

“I don’t know what to think of it,” Wright said. “I was just trying to get after the quarterback and saw an opportunity to get after the ball.”

Wildcats coach Rick Rodriguez certainly knew what to think of it.

“The play of the game, probably,” Rodriguez said. “Scooby’s been playing great all year. He was really jacked up to play this game and made a great play against a great player.”

True freshman Nick Wilson ran for a pair of scores and caught another to lift the Wildcats (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12), who were 24-point underdogs. It was the second straight season and third time since 2007 that an unranked Arizona team beat an Oregon squad ranked in the top 5.

Arizona has won its first five games for the first time since 1998.

“Nobody gave us a shot but this is a statement that Arizona is here to play,” Wright said.

The loss silenced Autzen Stadium’s 100th straight sellout crowd and left the Ducks with an uphill climb if they want an invite to college football’s first postseason playoff.

With his team trailing 24-14 going into the final quarter, Oregon’s Matt Wogan made a 21-yard field goal. Mariota then hit Keanon Lowe with a 9-yard scoring pass to tie it with 8:21 left.

With Arizona driving downfield, the Ducks (4-1, 1-1) sacked Anu Solomon on third-and-8, but Tony Washington was called for unsportsmanlike conduct to give the Wildcats a first down. A pass interference call got Arizona closer for Jones-Grigsby’s go-ahead touchdown.

Mariota threw for 181 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a TD pass, but was sacked three times and turned the ball over for the first time all season.

Last November, the No. 5 Ducks lost to Arizona 42-16 in Tucson, dashing any hopes Oregon had of winning a national championship.

“Hats off to them,” Mariota said. “They did a good job of covering guys and getting some pressure. It happens. We just have to execute better and obviously learn from it.”

Afterward, Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost said Mariota wasn’t 100 percent after getting sacked seven times in Oregon’s previous game, a 38-31 victory at Washington State on Sept. 20.

Solomon, a redshirt freshman, threw for 287 yards and a touchdown for the Wildcats, who jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on Casey Skowron’s 28-yard field goal.

The Ducks appeared to still be struggling with their unstable offensive line, with Tyler Johnstone, Andre Yruretagoyena and Jake Fisher all still out with injuries. True freshman Tyrell Crosby and former walk-on Matt Pierson started for the second game at tackle.

Oregon got creative to start the second quarter with Mariota handing off to freshman running back Royce Freeman, who lobbed the ball back to Mariota for a 28-yard touchdown. After a review for what appeared could be a fumble at the goal line, the TD stood to put the Ducks up 7-3.

The Ducks weren’t the only ones making unusual plays. Solomon threw a 21-yard pass to himself — helped by a carom off Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner. The Wildcats made it to the red zone, but Jones-Grigsby fumbled and the Ducks recovered on their own 10.

Arizona opened the second half with a six-play, 80-yard drive capped by Wilson’s 3-yard touchdown run to go up 10-7.

Oregon answered with its own scoring drive — helped along by a taunting call on Arizona that gave the Ducks a crucial first down — that ended when Mariota hit Devon Allen with a 6-yard pass to make it 14-10.

Wilson added a 2-yard scoring run to give the Wildcats back the lead. Before the third quarter was over he added a 28-yard TD catch from Solomon to give Arizona a 24-14 advantage going into the final period.

The Ducks were hurt when starting defensive end Arik Armstead left midway through the second quarter with what appeared to be a left foot injury.

Arizona was coming off a bye week after a dramatic, come-from-behind, 49-45 victory over California, won when Solomon hit Austin Hill on a 47-yard Hail Mary on the game’s final play.

“I’m really proud of our guys, the way they battled,” Rodriguez said. “We didn’t play a clean game by any stretch of the imagination, but our defense kept us in it in the first half and our offense started executing better in the second half. They kept competing.”

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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