CORAL GABLES, Fla. — If any of his grieving players asked, Miami coach Larry Coker would have quickly excused them from the Hurricanes' first practice since the killing of defensive lineman Bryan Pata.

Everyone showed up, though.

And with that, the Hurricanes' long healing process began.

Less than 24 hours after Pata, one of the Hurricanes' most-respected players, was killed outside his apartment, his team was back on the football field Wednesday afternoon to prepare for Saturday's game at No. 23 Maryland. The Hurricanes have decided to play the game, saying they'll do so in Pata's honor.

"They felt like Bryan would want to practice. They felt like Bryan would want to play," Coker said after practice. "That's a decision that we respected, and I think it's the right decision."

Pata, 22, was shot to death Tuesday night outside his off-campus apartment, less than two hours after practice and an informal team dinner ended. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive lineman was found dead in the apartment complex's parking lot when police arrived, and detectives ruled it a homicide.

Det. Roy Rutland, spokesman for the Miami-Dade County Police Department, said police searched Pata's apartment after the shooting. He would not provide any details about what officers sought and what was found. No other details were released.

"The investigators are following all leads, and the release of any information at this time could compromise the investigation," Rutland said Wednesday.

Miami players were not available for comment after practice. They walked off the field nearly in total silence, with some peeling off their orange, green and white jerseys before shuffling into the locker room.

They have dealt with plenty of problems this season, including a July shooting in which safety Willie Cooper was slightly injured and a sideline-clearing brawl last month in a game against Florida International.

"It's spiritual, but God's not going to give you more than you can handle," Coker said. "And I'm just disappointed that he trusts us so much, because we've been getting a lot to handle."