UM coach Al Golden: open week helped in all areas

Hurricanes coach Al Golden said the extra days off after UM’s last game Sept. 19 against Nebraska have allowed his players to get healthier — and get their “academics squared away.

“I’m talking assignments that are due the next couple of weeks,” Golden said Monday in his press conference before the 7:30 p.m. Thursday game (ESPN) at Cincinnati. “We did a lot of those.”

He said the Canes “hit the weight room [and] we really fixed the things that we needed to fix by position and unit.”

Miami protected starting weak-side linebacker Jermaine Grace (shoulder/head) again during practice, Golden said, but insisted he is healthy and “full-go” for Thursday. “We’re being proactive with him,” the coach said. “We wanted to get him through [Wednesday] … and just let him go. We’re being careful.”

Receiver Stacy Coley “is further along to being healthy,” Golden said. “We’re just not ready yet with that hamstring, and we’re going to be in for it all season if we don’t take care of it.”

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 9:32 PM with the headline "UM coach Al Golden: open week helped in all areas."