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Peppers gets pick 6, Packers rout Vikings 42-10

By WTOP Staff

GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Julius Peppers crossed the goal line and caught his breath.

But his work wasn’t done after returning an interception 49 yards for a touchdown. Teammate Morgan Burnett pointed to the stands — time for Peppers’ first Lambeau Leap.

One of many for the Packers on Thursday night.

Aaron Rodgers threw for three scores, and Eddie Lacy ran for a season-high 105 yards and two touchdowns in the 42-10 rout of the Minnesota Vikings.

Jordy Nelson hauled in a 66-yard touchdown catch. Things were going so well in Green Bay that even Peppers found his way to the end zone through the mist.

But something was missing.

“‘(Burnett)”just said, ‘Go, go, go, go!'” Peppers recounted.

This is all new to Peppers after joining the Packers in the offseason as a free agent.

“It was actually pretty tough to get up there. I was pretty tired after that run, so I barely got up there,” Peppers said. “It was tough.”

The Vikings had it much worse.

The Packers led 28-0 after the first half played in a light rain. They essentially toyed with Minnesota the rest of the way.

“Green Bay outplayed us,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “They were more physical than we were. They did a much better job all night.”

Peppers had the highlight-reel play in the second quarter after picking off a pass over the middle from Christian Ponder, who was hit by tackle Luther Robinson as he released the throw.

The 34-year-old Peppers veered left across the field and waited for blocks before striding the final 10 yards along the sideline to make it 21-0 with 7:06 left in the second quarter.

Peppers became the first player in NFL history with 100 sacks and 10 interceptions.

“I like the way it went tonight,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “Yeah, I’ll take this.”

Ponder struggled in getting the start at quarterback with rookie Teddy Bridgewater out with a sprained left ankle.

Jamari Lattimore intercepted Ponder’s pass over the middle on Minnesota’s drive after the Peppers’ touchdown, setting up Rodgers’ 11-yard scoring pass to Davante Adams to give Green Bay a four-touchdown lead with 4:55 left in the first half.

That was Rodgers’ 200th career touchdown — though he let Adams’ keep the ball in honor of his first career score.

“I’m very proud of Aaron,” McCarthy said. “It seems like he’s in the point of his career now where every week or every other week he’s breaking a record.”

The rest of the game was a mere formality. Fans took delight in showering former Green Bay receiver Greg Jennings with boos whenever he touched the ball.

Jennings finished with two catches for 31 yards.

Rodgers was 12 of 17 for 156 yards — and the offense wasn’t really at its best. There were several three-and-outs sprinkled among the touchdown drives.

But after a short week to get ready for a Thursday night game, the Packers will surely relish this win over a long weekend.

On the touchdown to Nelson, Rodgers found the NFL’s leading receiver on play-action. Nelson caught the pass stride at the 20 and easily outraced safety Harrison Smith into end zone for the Packers’ second touchdown.

Rodgers also connected with Randall Cobb for an 8-yard touchdown pass set up by three straight long runs by Lacy. Cobb scored his league-leading sixth touchdown of the season.

The Packers’ struggling running game also got back on track, with Lacy running for touchdowns on back-to-back drives in the third quarter. He barreled over safety Robert Blanton into the end zone on his second score, from 10 yards out.

“Eddie, you know, he’s going to be a guy who’s just going to be continuing to lay on people and to be more of a force as the weather continues to turn here,” Rodgers said.

In contrast, Minnesota rarely advanced past midfield. Its only venture across the 50 in the first half ended with Burnett forcing Matt Asiata to fumble after an 11-yard run, and Casey Hayward recovered the Vikings’ third consecutive turnover.

Under pressure much of the night, Minnesota could rarely get anything going through the air until late with the game well in hand. Ponder was 22 of 44 for 222 yards.

Green Bay finished with six sacks, including 1 1/2 apiece for Mike Daniels and former Viking Letroy Guion.

The Vikings finally broke the shutout on Ponder’s 6-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter. But they still trailed 42-7.

“Playing like that, you don’t have much to say. It was embarrassing. That’s not the way I expected to come out and play,” Ponder said.

Minnesota had the most notable injury when receiver Cordarelle Patterson left with a hip injury early in the third quarter after making a 6-yard catch. For Green Bay, defensive lineman Datone Jones left in the second quarter with an ankle injury.

___

AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.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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