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Cowboys showing different side in fast start

By WTOP Staff

SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Sports Writer

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys crumbled two years ago in Seattle after an early special teams blunder. This time he led another fourth-quarter comeback in the strongest sign yet that a four-year playoff drought could end.

A 30-23 Dallas win Sunday that reverberated around the NFL came after the Cowboys fell behind 10-0 when the Seahawks returned a blocked punt for a touchdown. They faced the same deficit in 2012 after fumbling the opening kickoff in a 27-7 loss.

Those Cowboys didn’t have the league’s leading rusher and an unwavering will to keep running, even against a Super Bowl champion that was the league’s best at stopping the run. And the Dallas defense wasn’t geared to match that physical style of play.

“I think we are a little better ballclub,” Romo said after throwing for two touchdowns and keeping the winning drive alive with a scrambling 23-yard completion to Terrance Williams on third-and-20. “Our team understands we do a lot of things pretty well and I think we have the ability to impose ourselves on the other team.”

There’s even a lesson for eternally optimistic owner Jerry Jones in a 5-1 start that has Dallas tied with Philadelphia and San Diego for the NFL’s best record. Maybe a little pessimism isn’t a bad thing.

Jones said during the offseason he thought the defense would be better only because it couldn’t get any worse than in 2013, when Dallas gave up the third-most yards in league history. Then he tamped down expectations by telling thousands of fans at the kickoff luncheon that his team faced an “uphill battle.”

If so, the Cowboys are winning it heading into their first NFC East game Sunday against the New York Giants (3-3). It’s the first of three straight at home — and four overall — in which Dallas figures to be favored.

“We actually said before we came up here, I just really couldn’t imagine us playing and competing” the way they did, Jones said. “I really do think it’s the kind of win under adverse circumstances, which this is, that you really build from.”

DeMarco Murray, who leads the league with 785 yards rushing, has a chance against the Giants to become the first back to start the season with seven straight 100-yard games.

He was sitting at 64 yards and a 2.9-yard average late in the fourth quarter. He broke loose for 46 yards on three carries, capped by a 15-yarder that gave Romo his NFL-leading 25th winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime since he became the starter during the 2006 season, according to STATS.

Murray’s late surge to finish with 115 yards was just another sign Dallas is sticking with the running game after years of being quick to abandon it under a variety of circumstances. Going into the game, Seattle hadn’t allowed any running back more than 38, and was giving up an average of 62 per game.

The Cowboys had 162 yards on 37 carries — after getting 49 yards on just 16 tries when they fell behind by the same score in Seattle two years earlier.

“There are a lot of things that we can build on from this game and we can learn from it,” coach Jason Garrett said. “When you play teams like this, you can’t do what we did with the football. You can’t have a blocked punt, you can’t turn the ball over twice.”

Dallas essentially handed the Seahawks 17 points at home, where they had lost just once since the start of 2012. The Cowboys won because the defense held Russell Wilson and company to season lows in all three yardage categories and in first downs.

But nothing changes in the mind of 12-year veteran Jason Witten, originator of the “same old story” line before the second of the current run of three straight 8-8 seasons that ended with losses to keep Dallas home for the playoffs.

“We’re not going to make it bigger than it is,” said Witten, who scored a touchdown on the same catch that made him the second tight end in NFL history with 900 for his career. “It’s a huge win, we are going to enjoy it, but we are going to move forward. There is a lot of football to be played.”

But this is a different Dallas team playing it.

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Online:

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

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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
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