4-27. His 100-yard kickoff return was the longest of the season in the FCS and the 13th all-time in the Ohio Valley Conf

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- As much as coach Bob Huggins liked watching his West Virginia teams full-court press force turnovers last season, he cringed at how frequently his own ballhandlers threw away possessions.With three veteran guards returning, better ballhandling could make this a special season for the 20th-ranked Mountaineers, who open play by hosting Mount St. Marys on Friday (7 p.m. ET).West Virginia was picked to finish second to Kansas in the Big 12 -- the Mountaineers highest projection in five years since switching conferences.That doesnt mean anything unless you back it up. And now weve got to go back it up, Huggins said.Last seasons 26-9 record, which included a runner-up finish to the Jayhawks during the Big 12 regular season and conference tournament, brought more frenetic defense tempered by frantic offense. While forcing the second-most turnovers per game (17.8) in the nation, the West Virginia ranked 303rd out of 346 Division I teams in turnovers committed (14.2).We need to not throw it out of bounds so much, Huggins said. Our ball security was as bad as its been probably in my nine years here.That sloppiness surfaced during a first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament. A 70-56 upset loss to 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin saw West Virginia produce 22 turnovers and only 16 field goals.Such upside-down ratios may be a thing of the past now that dual point guards Tarik Philip (9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds) and Jevon Carter (9.5 points, 1.6 steals) return, along with shooting guard Daxter Miles (9.4 points, 1.4 steals). After playing together for two years, the trio set an offseason pace in hopes their shooting catches up with their gritty defense.Huggins will need offensive help after losing top scorers Jaysean Paige (13.7 points), the Big 12s sixth man of the year, and Devin Williams (13.3 points, 9.5 rebounds), the leagues leading rebounder.This league has come down to last possessions a lot, and youve got to get hard rebounds, Huggins said. Dev could do that for us, so were going to have to have other guys step up.Much is expected of late-developing forward Elijah Macon, who arrived at West Virginia as a top-100 recruit three years ago but has yet to come close to that potential.Sophomore small forward Esa Ahmad (4.9 points, 2.7 rebounds) also anticipates bigger contributions after making 34 starts last season.The sleeper standout could be senior Nathan Adrian, a 6-foot-9 forward who shot nearly 50 percent from 3-point range while averaging 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds. He has been a breakout scorer in scrimmages and exhibitions.Mount St. Marys, 1-25 all-time against ranked teams and 14-19 last season, returns three starters and was picked fourth in the Northeast Conference.The Mount has dropped seven consecutive season openers to a string of power programs that includes Maryland, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Dayton, Oklahoma and West Virginia in 2013.Jamion Christian enters his fifth season as coach with a 63-65 record, though his exciting teams have blended pressure defense and a 3-point attack.This is a mentally tough group, Christian told the Frederick (Md.) News-Post about the teams schedule, which also features Iowa State, Minnesota, Michigan and Arkansas. I feel it wants a challenge like this and can handle it.Mount St. Marys features dynamic 5-foot-5 guard Junior Robinson, a second-team all-conference performer last season, when he averaged 12.2 points and 3.1 assists.Fake Panthers Jerseys . 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Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. Custom Florida Panthers Jerseys . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St.(STATS) -- Arkansas-Pine Bluff quarterback Brandon Duncan clearly saves his best games for the toughest opponents.His best performance in a part-time role last season came against SWAC West Division champion Grambling State.Thursday night, Duncan surpassed it. With a national television spotlight, he tore apart Alcorn State, the reigning East Division and overall conference champion, in a surprising UAPB victory.Duncan, Sam Houston States P.J. Hall, Tennessee Techs Dontez Byrd and Duquesnes A.J. Hines have been named the STATS FCS National Players of the Week for games played Sept. 15-17.---=OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK=Brandon Duncan, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, QB, R-So., 6-3, 210, Roosevelt, New YorkAlcorn State ranked second in the FCS in passing yards allowed and completed less than 46 percent of his passes last season, but Duncan stunned the reigning SWAC champion by throwing for 505 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-43, triple-overtime upset. Despite facing great pressure, he completed 29 of 52 attempts for the FCS season high in passing yards. He threw for a two-point conversion in the final minute of the fourth quarter to force overtime. After Alcorn State went ahead 43-37 on its possession of the third overtime, Duncan tied the score with a 25-yard pass to Willie Young and won it by completing a two-point conversion to John Hawkins on a slant route.Honorable Mention: Marcus Bagley, RB, Saint Francis; Case Cookus, QB, Northern Arizona; Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks, RB, Albany; Eli Jenkins, QB, Jacksonville State; Kyle Moreno, QB, Brown; Joe Protheroe, RB, Cal Poly; Nick Shafnisky, QB, Lehigh---=DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK=P.J. Hall, Sam Houston State, DE, Jr., 6-1, 280, Seguin, TexasBeast-mode isnt just for running backs; the STATS FCS All-American goes into it on a weekly basis. He camped out in the Lamar backfield as Sam Houston built a big lead in the first half and beat Lamar 44-31 in the Southland Conference. He recorded nine tackles, including 4 1/2 for loss, broke up two passes and provided the pressure on Lamar quarterback Andrew Allen that resulted in an intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety. Running back Kade Harrington, the co-national offensive player of the week in Lamaars win over Sam Houston last season, was limited to 76 yards on 25 carries.dddddddddddd Hall raised his school record for tackles for loss to 57 1/2.Honorable Mention: Darius Jackson, DE, Jacksonville State; Zach Jackson, FS, Mercer; Christian Kuntz, LB, Duquesne; Darius Leonard, LB, South Carolina State; Nakevion Leslie, LB, Chattanooga; Trent Williams, LB, Colgate; Miquiyah Zamora, DE, Eastern Washington---=SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK=Dontez Byrd, Tennessee Tech, RS/WR, R-Jr., 5-11, 180, Louisville, KentuckyByrd didnt wait to get started on a big game against Mercer. He took the opening kickoff and returned it 100 yards for the longest play in Tennessee Tech history. The first-year transfer from Louisville returned three other kickoffs and finished with 183 return yards. He added six receptions for 41 yards and had a 3-yard carry for 227 all-purpose yards in a game the Golden Eagles led after three quarters but lost 34-27. His 100-yard kickoff return was the longest of the season in the FCS and the 13th all-time in the Ohio Valley Conference.Honorable Mention: Kyle Bowling, LB, Houston Baptist; Kevin Lazo, DL, Bryant; Zach Mays, PK, Cornell; Cam Pedersen, PK, North Dakota State; DeAndre Schoultz, PR, The Citadel; Sean Smith, P, Dayton---=FRESHMAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK=A.J. Hines, Duquesne, RB, Fr., 5-11, 220, Wilson, North CarolinaThe defending Northeast Conference champion Dukes had a hole to fill at running back and theyve filled it with a true freshman. Hines was a workhorse in their 34-20 win over Dayton, which avenged a loss from last season. He carried the ball 29 times for 189 yards -- the most by a Dukes freshman in seven years -- and two touchdowns. Adept at picking up yards in bunches, he scored on a 10-yard run in the second quarter and a 37-yard run in the fourth quarter, giving him five touchdowns on the young season. Hes been named NEC rookie of the week in two of the seasons first three weeks.Honorable Mention: Albert Funderburke, RB, William & Mary; Earl Harrison, RB, Tennessee State; Sully Laiche, LB, Nicholls; Jimmy Seewall, QB, Valparaiso ' ' '