NEU » em.The Celtics (10-7) cruised to a 112-1

West Virginia has been burned by Kansas State the past two years on special teams and coach Dana Holgorsen wants to make sure it doesnt happen again.Holgorsen said the Mountaineers (3-0) are doing extensive work on kickoffs and punts ahead of Saturdays game against Kansas State (2-1) in their Big 12 opener in Morgantown.Our goal is to not get beat on special teams, and thats a huge goal this week, Holgorsen said.For good reason. Dominique Heath is the latest threat for Kansas State when the ball changes possession. Heath already has a 75-yard punt return TD this season and has caught two passes for scores.In 2014, Tyler Lockett scored on a 43-yard punt return against the Mountaineers. Punter Nick OToole was supposed to kick the ball to the right, but Lockett fielded the ball on the other side of the field and scored untouched. At wide receiver, Lockett caught 10 passes for 196 yards in the 26-20 win.Holgorsen told Lockett after the game the coach was glad he was graduating.But the special teams follies continued. Last year, the Wildcats Morgan Burns returned a kickoff 97 yards in the fourth quarter for the go-ahead touchdown in a 24-23 victory. Burns also had a 67-yard kickoff return earlier in the game to set up another score.Cranking out special teams stars probably has something to do with the scheme and their emphasis in how they coach it, Holgorsen said, giving credit to Sean Snyder, the Wildcats special teams coordinator since 2011.Sean Snyder is as good as there is, Holgorsen said. We have to be on guard, and we have to work hard this week in countering what hes going to be able to do.West Virginia did not renew the contract of special teams coordinator Joe DeForest after last season. This year those responsibilities went to second-year assistant coach Mark Scott.Holgorsen has been pleased with how his team has handled punt returning and chasing after punt returners so far. Its kickoffs that have him concerned. West Virginia is average when it comes to returns and is next-to-last in the Big 12 in yards allowed per kickoff.Last week against BYU, kicker Mike Molina didnt have a kickoff for a touchback after having seven in the previous two games. One of his kickoffs went out of bounds. The Mountaineers twice gave up long kickoff returns.Our hang time was bad. Our ball placement was bad, Holgorsen said. We put our defense in bad situations by not being able to cover kicks the appropriate way.Holgorsen said he plans to change the players he uses on kickoffs, too.There are some guys out there who werent ready to play yet, he said.Josh Lambert returns this week from a three-game suspension for an undisclosed violation of Big 12 rules. Two years ago, Lambert was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the nations top placekicker. Holgorsen said Lambert will split kicking duties with Molina, who was 5 of 6 on field goals.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org Cheap Custom Hockey Jerseys . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Custom Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys Cheap . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. http://www.hockeyjerseyscustom.com/custom-colorado-avalanche-jerseys-cheap-283k . 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BOSTON -- Al Horford will be back in the Boston lineup when the Celtics host the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.Horford, who missed nine games this season because of a concussion, was not with the team in its easy win at Miami on Monday night because his wife gave birth to the couples second child.Amazingly, Horford had to defend not being at the game after a local talk-show host said he should have chartered a jet and joined his team in Florida.My familys very important to me, he said Tuesday. For me, Im in more of a unique situation because this is our first year here (in Boston) and my wife, we all moved in the middle of the pregnancy. And just a lot going on. So I just felt like it was important for me to really be there, supporting her. And we have a son as well.So for her, its been a lot thrown at her these past few months. So I know that it meant a lot for me to be there with her, and knowing our schedule ahead and everything. So Im just very happy that the Celtics really take the time and they consider us not only as players but as people. And people that have families.After Horfords sister came to his defense on Twitter, the player put the whole thing in perspective, saying, I dont really read into any (criticism). I dont read Twitter and stuff, and the radio and all that. I just kind of focus on the court, on my job here, and then off the court on my family.Everybody has their opinion. I respect anything that anybody has to say. I care a lot about the group and our guys. Like I was explaining earlier, for my familys sake it was important for me to be there for them. Just with our transition and everything. So thats that. Now I can put that behind me and get focused again on (Wednesdays game).That contest will be against a Detroit team that won easily beat the Hornets on Tuesday night, a 112-89 win at Charlotte.Give them their due -- four games in five nights, its awfully difficult in this league, Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said of the Hornets.dddddddddddd I think they ran out of gas a little bit in the second half. But still, we did what we were supposed to do. It was important for us to do that, so I was happy.The Pistons won despite the ejection of big man Andre Drummond in the second quarter for throwing an elbow at Roy Hibbert -- a non-believing Drummond laughing and shaking his head as he walked off the court following the flagrant-2 call.Tobias Harris scored 24 points and Marcus Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 18 apiece for the Pistons (9-10).It says a lot about our team, but most importantly about guys like Aron (Baynes) and Jon (Leuer) to fill in for that role and be productive and bring the energy that (Drummond) had when he was out there, Harris said. We just kept playing with them.The Celtics (10-7) cruised to a 112-104 win in Miami and came away saying Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told his players that Boston guard Marcus Smart was a hothead.I was begging for Spoelstra to get a technical foul because he was saying a lot of stuff, Bostons Jae Crowder said. He was everywhere (Monday) night, but thats one of the things he did say. When they went to intentional foul Marcus, it was obvious that what they were trying to do was more than just foul. They were trying to get under his skin and play a little physical, and knowing he wanted to retaliate for the most part. So its just part of the scouting report on I guess Marcus that he wears his emotions on his sleeve.The Pistons and Celtics played Nov. 19 in Auburn Hills, Boston winning 94-92 with Isaiah Thomas scoring 24 points and dishing out eight assists. ' ' '