ce July 2 with knee discomfort, had his third scheduled

AMES, Iowa -- Things have gotten so bleak for Iowa State that a three-touchdown defeat is seen as progress.Still, there were signs in a 41-20 road loss at TCU that the winless Cyclones (0-3) are indeed improving.Quarterback Joel Lanning helped jump-start the rushing game, running back Mike Warren ran for nearly 100 yards and Iowa States special teams looked as strong as they have all season.It was clear from the opener, a 25-20 loss to Northern Iowa of the FCS, that 2016 would be a rebuilding year. So as lopsided as the final score was in Fort Worth last weekend, the Cyclones found some positives to build on for Saturdays nonconference finale against San Jose State (1-2).Were continuing to grow and get better and I think you saw that last week, first-year Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said.Lanning retained his starting spot despite a terrible performance two weeks ago, throwing for just 86 yards as the Cyclones were throttled by Iowa 42-3.That doesnt mean Lanning is set to take all the snaps this season.Sophomore Jacob Park, the more accomplished passer of the two, played extensively against the Horned Frogs and threw for 90 yards on 15 attempts.Lanning is much more of a dual threat though, and the Cyclones were able to use that to their advantage. Lanning rushed for two TDs, including an 8-yarder in which he broke tackles from nearly half of TCUs defense to score.Campbell said the quarterback rotation moving forward will be based on practice performances, game-day situations and even feel on occasion.I still think thats an open-ended question, Campbell said of this weekends plans for Lanning and Park. Well continue to compete at that position. But I really trust those guys to play.Warrens inability to get untracked, an issue caused largely by a leaky offensive line, had been Iowa States biggest problem. But the Cyclones finally committed to getting Warren more involved against the Horned Frogs, and it paid off.Warren ran for 95 yards on 23 carries after gaining just 58 yards in the first two weeks combined.Youre not going to get where you want in a day, and we all realize that its going to take a little more each time to get where we want to go, he said.Iowa States special teams had their moments last week as well after some early stumbles against Northern Iowa and Iowa.Cole Netten hit two short field goals, true freshman Kene Nwangwu had 99 yards on just three kickoff returns and Colin Downing averaged 44 yards on eight punts.Of course, none of them led to a win -- or even a relatively close game.But for a program just three games into a rebuild that could easily take three years or more, signs of progress are encouraging.I think we kind of put things together a little bit more than we have in the first two games. We were going quick and we had success running the ball, and thats what we need to do to be successful, Lanning said. We made some baby steps, and it was good for us.---Online: www.collegefootball.ap.org Langston Galloway Pistons Jersey . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. Jerry Stackhouse Jersey . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. https://www.pistonsrookiesshop.com/Allen-Iverson-City-Edition-Jersey/ .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Mateen Cleaves Pistons Jersey . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. Bruce Brown Jr. Jersey .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. SAN FRANCISCO -- The way things are going for the Pittsburgh Pirates these days, even when they dig themselves into a hole theres still hope.You start winning a few games, regardless of what the score is, if its early we know weve got a chance to make something happen, Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen said.The Pirates made something happen against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.McCutchen had two hits, including a two-run homer, pinch-hitter Matt Joyce had a key two-run single, and Pittsburgh rallied from a four-run deficit to complete a three-game sweep of the Giants with a 6-5 victory.Thats us, McCutchen added. Thats what we do.The Pirates won their fourth straight game and sixth in seven. They remain a game behind St. Louis, which beat Houston 8-2, in the race for the NL wild card.I think this last week or two has really been fun for us, Joyce said. You can definitely tell guys are playing with that intensity and you can tell theyre hungry.McCutchens homer, his 17th, capped a six-run rally in the fifth inning that chased Giants starter Matt Cain (4-8).Cain had allowed one hit and had faced just one batter over the minimum with a 4-0 lead going into his disastrous fifth inning, when the Pirates scored six runs on four walks, three hits and a hit batsman.His first pitch to McCutchen was an 89 mph fastball over the middle of the plate, and the Pirates center fielder pounced.Pirates starter Ivan Nova allowed four runs and six hits in four innings. He struck out five and allowed no walks. Nova, who won his first two starts since coming over in a deadline trade with the New York Yankees, was lifted for Joyce after Cain hit David Freese to start the fifth and then walked three straight batters.Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of his decision to pinch-hit Joyce wasnt a reflection on Novas performance.How do you know youre going to have another shot with the bases loaded? Hurdle asked. You take a shot when the bases are full and see what can play out.Nova is 2-0 with a 4.41 ERA in three starts with the Pirates. He hasnt allowed a walk in 16 1/3 innings with his new team. We like his stuff, Hurdle said. It was a tough day to be a National League pitcher. In the American League hes probably still pitching.Jeff Locke (9-7) pitched a scoreless fifth.Tony Watson survived a scoreless ninth after the Giants loaded the bases with no outs for his seventh save in eight tries since taking over Pittsburghs closers role.The Giaants, who on Tuesday fell out of first place in the NL West for the first time in 97 days, lost their fourth straight.dddddddddddd They fell to 9-21, the worst record in the majors since the All-Star break. They dropped 1 1/2 games behind the Dodgers, who beat Philadelphia on Wednesday night.Were taking some blows right now but its a tough club, its a resilient club, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.They came out and did some good things today. Were creating some good chances and opportunities.The Giants failed to capitalize when it counted most.After inducing Buster Posey to ground into a run-scoring double play, Watson got Brandon Crawford to fly out to shallow center and McCutchen made a game-ending running catch.Posey was 3 for 5 with an RBI double to lead the Giants. Crawford was 2 for 5 with a double, a triple and three RBI and Angel Pagan was 3 for 4 with a double as he extended his hitting streak to 15 games.BEST WESTERNThe Pirates are 25-8 on the road against the NL West over the last two seasons and are 22-11 against the division this season. This has been key for us the last couple of years, coming out here and taking care of business, McCutchen said.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: RHP Tyler Glasnow, on the DL since July 24 with right shoulder discomfort, threw a bullpen session on Tuesday and is showing progress, Hurdle said. ... C Chris Stewart, out since July 2 with knee discomfort, had his third scheduled rehab game with Double-A Altoona rained out on Tuesday.Giants: Bochy had Posey in the lineup for a day game after a night game after the All-Star catcher missed two consecutive games with lower back tightness. I dont want him going out there if theres any risk of making it worse, he says hes fine, Bochy said. ... 1B Brandon Belt dropped to the ground after fouling a pitch off his right knee in the fifth inning but stayed in the game.UP NEXTPirates: RHP Gerrit Cole will pitch the series opener against the Marlins on Friday. Cole is 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA in three starts since pitching his first career complete game against Seattle on July 27.Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner will pitch the series opener with the Mets on Thursday. The All-Star threw seven shutout innings against Baltimore in his most recent outing to snap a streak of five winless starts in which he was 0-3 and the Giants were 0-5. ' ' '