Skip to main content

More records in sight for Cougars’ Connor Halliday

By WTOP Staff

ERIC OLSON
AP College Football Writer

Connor Halliday broke another NCAA record, and he has more in sight.

The Washington State quarterback threw for a Division I-record 734 yards in a 60-59 loss to California on Saturday. The feat elicited little more than a shrug from the fifth-year senior, who said “it’ll be fun to look back on it when I’m 30 years old.”

That reaction is no surprise when freakish passing numbers are the norm in Mike Leach’s “Air Raid” offense.

Halliday already set a national record last season with 89 pass attempts against Oregon, and he’s within striking distance of the Division I records for passing attempts, completions and yards in a season.

The owners of those records are B.J. Symons (attempts and yardage) and Graham Harrell (completions) — both coached by Leach at Texas Tech.

Halliday broke the single-game record of 716 passing yards by Houston’s David Klingler in 1990 and came within 2 yards of the all-division mark by Sam Durley of Division III Eureka College in 2012.

Halliday increased his nation-leading average to 508.7 yards a game — 75 more than his closest competition and 155 yards over his 2013 average. His 250 completions and 369 attempts are 62 and 81 more than anybody else.

His six touchdown passes against Cal gave him a nation-best 26.

If he had been going against any other team, Cal’s Jared Goff would have been the star. Goff threw for 527 yards and five touchdowns in the win.

Some other notable statistics from the weekend:

NEW RUSHING LEADER: Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon overtook Indiana’s Tevin Coleman for the national rushing lead. Gordon ran for 259 yards against Northwestern, his second 200-yard game of the season, and is averaging 174.2 yards. Coleman, who went for 150 yards on 17 runs against North Texas, is averaging 168.2.

TACKLE MACHINE: Arizona State free safety Jordan Simone matched the 2014 single-game high for tackles with a career-high 20 against Southern California. The last ASU player to record so many tackles was Mark Tingstad in 1988.

100 AND DONE: TCU kicker Jaden Oberkrom made his first four extra-point attempts against Oklahoma to extend his school-record streak to 100 in a row. Guess what happened on his try for 101? It was blocked.

RUNNING IT UP? Division III Mount Union set a school record with eight rushing touchdowns in a 75-0 victory over Capital in an Ohio Athletic Conference game. The Purple Raiders, rated No. 3 in their division and winners of 87 straight regular-season games, rushed for 491 yards and finished with 730 total yards. Their defense limited Capital to 60 total yards.

EXTRA POINTS: Kansas, Missouri and Boston College are yet to lose a fumble through five games. … Rutgers’ Kemoko Turay blocked his nation-leading third kick against Michigan. … Baylor is 5-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1916-17. … The Iowa State-Oklahoma State game featured five field goals. Interestingly, four came from 34 yards.

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

Pope Leo XIV draws 1.2 million to Mass and challenges Europe to acknowledge its Christian roots

Years of pent-up emotions came flooding out of Alexander Zverev when he finally won the French Open

The Nigerian army frees 360 abducted people in northeastern Borno state