Don't call it a bye week.
Although they don't play this Saturday for the first time since Labor Day, the Miami Hurricanes travel to Virginia Tech for a pivotal Thursday night matchup Oct. 23.
Head coach Al Golden, who spoke via teleconference Monday afternoon, has given his players time to regroup after seven straight games to open the season.
Practice will resume Wednesday, with Saturday's and Sunday's sessions resembling those during a game week.
"It's really not a bye week, so our No. 1 priority is to get healed up and try to rest up and see if we can get some guys back and come out of this a lot stronger," Golden said. "Obviously we'll get ahead to Virginia Tech later on in the week. But we're just trying to take care of our bodies and be rested up right now."
One area the team will look to improve upon is cutting back on the number of penalties. After being issued 13 infractions for 155 yards Saturday, the Hurricanes are tied with Washington State with the 11th-most penalties per game (8.14).
Asked whether there were certain types he could live with, Golden pointed to aggressive ones. He does not care for celebratory penalties that affect ensuing kickoffs and field position.
"I would say the selfish ones are the absolute no-nos," Golden said. "If we get a celebration penalty because we're not acknowledging the other 10 guys on the field ... we want to play with a lot of energy and it's just a simple rule: Celebrate with your teammates. If you celebrate with your teammates you never have to worry about getting a penalty for drawing attention to yourself. First and foremost those. Any ones that are selfish like a personal foul. The ones that are aggressive in nature -- you're going to get those occasionally. The ones that are ticky tack -- I don't really dwell on those. It's the selfish ones, the ones where you put yourself before the team whether it be a celebration."
INJURY UPDATES
Senior Ronald Regula, the team's backup fullback and long snapper, has a "significant" injury he suffered during Saturday's game. Junior Frank Gabriel will take over duties.
"I don't know what it all entails yet, once we figure that out we'll release that," Golden said.
Golden didn't have updates on injured offensive linemen Kc McDermott and Taylor Gadbois, both who are nursing lower-extremity injuries, but believed the latter "should be able to give it a try by the end of the week."
Junior placekicker Matt Goudis, who last played in a game Sept. 6 against Florida A&M, remains sidelined by a lower-extremity injury. Freshman Michael Badgley has gone 5 for 6 on field goals in his place.
"It is just absolutely hindering his return and slower than we thought," Golden said. "We're entering that realm where redshirting -- it's a possibility -- and we have to examine that. Unless he can get cleared here this week it's something we're going to have to examine."
GAINING RECOGNITION
The Atlantic Coast Conference honored three players -- senior Phillip Dorsett, junior Tyriq McCord and freshman Brad Kaaya -- Monday afternoon.
Dorsett, who recorded 100-plus yards for the second time this season and caught two touchdowns, was named ACC Receiver of the Week. His 79-yard score in the third quarter was the longest of his career
McCord earned Co-Linebacker of the Week after tallying two tackles, one sack, one tackle for a loss and one pass breakup. His highlight-worthy 46-yard interception return for a touchdown was the first of his career.
For the fifth consecutive game, Kaaya threw for more than 200 yards en route to Rookie of the Week honors. He finished with three touchdowns, including the career-long 79-yarder to Dorsett, and no interceptions. Kaaya connected with seven different receivers, marking the fourth straight week he has done so.
BACK IN THE ACTION
Redshirt senior Ryan Williams, who tore his ACL in early April, entered Saturday's 55-34 win over Cincinnati with 6:07 remaining in the fourth quarter.
It marked his first game since Nov. 23, 2013, when he came on for Stephen Morris as the Hurricanes beat Virginia 45-26.
On Saturday, he handed the ball off twice to sophomore running back Gus Edwards before throwing an incomplete pass to Herb Waters. On freshman Trayone Gray's 2-yard rush, he fumbled the ball and it was returned for a score. Williams nearly got the tackle near the goal line.
Until the injury and subsequent surgery, Williams was the frontrunner for the starting quarterback job. Last season, he backed up Morris after sitting out a redshirt year because of transferring from Memphis.
"I think it's human nature to be disappointed, but Ryan's a winner, a leader and he's not going to get frustrated, he's not going to get discouraged," Golden said. "He's just going to keep moving forward. Whatever adversity he's had he's handled it with the same class and fortitude, and that's what he's doing right here right now. I'm happy for him that he got in a game. In of itself it's a big deal 'cause it's still a very quick recovery for him to be able to get in. Hopefully he'll be able to build on that this week and through the rest of the season."
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
