Gästebereich » Williams struggled in two games as the starter then ab

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa States first season under coach Matt Campbell will end in a month.How the Cyclones perform over the next four weeks could be a strong indicator of where theyre headed.Iowa State (1-6, 0-4 Big 12) will almost certainly finish with a losing record for the seventh year in a row. But the Cyclones still have a lot to play for over the next five games, even if thats mostly just playing time in 2017 and beyond.Iowa State, which had a much-needed bye last weekend, hosts Kansas State (4-3, 2-2) on Saturday and No. 16 Oklahoma just five days later.Just stay the course, to be honest with you, Campbell said Monday when asked what he wanted to see from his team in its remaining games. We havent talked about winning games since Ive been here. Weve talked about the process that it takes to be successful. And those are things that we have to master before anything else can happen.The Cyclones had the week off to get some rest and evaluate themselves after their first seven games under Campbell.For a program in Iowa States position, having some extra time for development was crucial.The Cyclones have 13 freshmen listed on their depth chart, a number indicative of how early they are in their rebuilding effort.Iowa State has found some youngsters who look like strong pieces for the future too.Running backs David Montgomery and Kene Nwangwu are already significant contributors. Wide receiver Deshaunte Jones has caught 15 passes with three TDs in his last five games and is second nationally among freshmen with 17.1 yards a catch.Especially as a freshman, as you first come in and now that you know that youre playing, and then you have class on top of that, its a bit overwhelming at first, said wide receiver Allen Lazard. Its hard to grasp all that. So having that first bye week is very useful for the freshmen.Iowa States bye also allowed two of its key players, wide receiver/returner Trever Ryen and safety Kamari Cotton-Moya, to get closer to returning to full health.The Cyclones need both of them to have the kind of closing stretch theyre hoping for.Ryen, who at one time this season was leading the nation in punt returns , first hurt his ankle in a 38-31 at Oklahoma State on Oct. 8 and re-injured it against Texas the following week. Cotton-Moya, who had been battling a shoulder injury, also used the time off to rest.Both are listed as starters for Saturdays game.Needed is probably an understatement, just as far as health more than anything, Campbell said of the bye. Were not very deep. The guys that are playing are playing a lot of snaps for us.The Cyclones also needed a break mentally. After a string of agonizing losses, some time away from the game could help them capitalize on the improvement they made from August until now and gain some momentum for next season.I definitely needed it, quarterback Joel Lanning. It was just nice to relax. I hung out with my family a lot ... I enjoyed it.---Online: www.collegefootball.ap.org Cheap Minnesota Vikings Jerseys . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. China Jerseys . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. http://www.cheapjerseyschinanfl.com/ .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Cheap Super Bowl Jerseys . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. Cheap NBA Jerseys . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah coach Kyle Whittingham is almost happy with his teams offense. Almost.The No. 24-ranked Utes have been a legitimate threat through the air in 2016, something that hasnt happened since the program joined the Pac-12 in 2011. Utah has averaged 6.03 yards per play through three games -- its highest since 2010. The passing game has netted 8.1 yards per pass with transfer quarterback Troy Williams, 1.5 yards more than in 2015.A few issues remain that have Whittingham unsettled.Our deficiency in finishing drives is still there, that hasnt been cleaned up totally, Whittingham said. But Troys starting to settle in. I think were executing a little bit better each week. To make us become who we want to become offensively, weve got to start finishing drives. Thats really the last piece to the puzzle.The Utes (3-0) will face their biggest test Friday in a USC team (1-2) that has more talent than the record indicates. The Trojans two losses came against No. 1 Alabama and No. 7 Stanford.Theres plenty of optimism in Salt Lake City with the belief Utah has an offense that isnt completely overshadowed by a defense thats tied for No. 9 in the country, allowing just 12.0 points per game. Williams has averaged 241 passing yards per game and thrown four touchdowns. The problem is hes thrown four interceptions, including one in the end zone in the last two games.Williams and 6-foot-5 receiver Tim Patrick have added a deep ball to the mix that hasnt been present in recent years. The 6-2, 200-pound junior is one of two Pac-12 quarterbacks with at least five completions of 40 yards or more.Williams said hes getting more comfortable with the level of play after spending 2015 at Santa Monica College.Windows close a lot faster here at this level, so I have to take note of that, Williams said about the red zone interceptions. Its not just turnovers.dddddddddddd You have to go down there with a certain mentality and make sure we punch it in. Field goals are good, but we want to score points to make sure we finish teams off.Utah is tied for No. 111 in the country in red zone scoring, putting points on the board 71.43 percent of the time. Its red zone touchdown percentage is just 42.86 percent, No. 119 in the nation.We always drive the ball, but theres always something that stops us, said Patrick, who has four touchdown catches.There was an expectation that the run game would regress with Devontae Booker now wearing a Denver Broncos jersey. Joe Williams struggled in two games as the starter then abruptly retired due to undisclosed injury issues.But freshman Zack Moss has been a pleasant surprise with 153 yards and a touchdown in two games. Sophomore Armand Shyne has also stepped up with 111 rushing yards and a touchdown. Junior Troy McCormick leads the team with 178 rushing yards and two touchdowns while his six receptions are tied for No. 2 on the team.We needed that to happen, Whittingham said. With Joe Williams gone now, that had to happen.The Utah offense may be progressing, but it hasnt faced an opponent with the physical talent of USC.Southern Utah, BYU and San Diego State simply cant compare to a Trojans program that annually puts together one of the top recruiting classes in the country.We know Troy (Williams) really well being from the L.A. area, just really happy for him, USC coach Clay Helton said. The way hes been able to lead that team to 3-0 is extremely impressive. He does a great job getting the ball out of his hands in the quick game and the run-pass option then throws a good deep ball when they max protect. ' ' '