What a lot of people can't figure out today is how Virginia ever won three games this season. The closest thing to an answer is that they weren't playing anybody like Miami those days.

The Cavaliers had at least been in every contest coming in here at 3-5. And the Hurricanes could have clobbered them far worse than 52-17 if Randy Shannon had so chosen. Which, of course, he didn't, calling off his devil dogs in the fourth quarter to keep UM from hanging something in the 70s on the scoreboard.

I'm not sure this had anything at all to do with Virginia humiliating Miami 48-0 two years ago in the Hurricanes' last game in the Orange Bowl.

This was much, much more about UM just cutting loose and moving closer to the top 10 where it belongs.

It was about Miami and Shannon and the lengths of the Canes' strides since Shannon took over from Larry Coker in 2007.

Getting two punts blocked and still winning by 35 qualifies for a word Shannon was unable to avoid using late Saturday. ``Miraculous'' was the word. Coming from Shannon, who is one of the more careful phrasemakers you will meet, it offered a credible summation of how far UM has come.

With three games left to play, starting Saturday at North Carolina and then coming home against Duke and finishing up at South Florida, this bunch has already equaled last year's seven-win total.

THE SHANNON TOUCH

Credit the Shannon touch and those of chief assistants Mark Whipple and John Lovett for a good part of Saturday's rout.

Jacory Harris, as usual the chief engineer of triumph, was the first to thank Shannon for ``giving us our legs back'' through a lightened practice schedule last week. ``It showed in our energy level,'' Harris said, and indeed it did -- like 515 yards of total offense to Virginia's 149.

I may be going off the deep end here, but my idea at this precise moment is that this UM team could play anybody anywhere on even terms. The offensive line has brought the running game to within at least a decent margin of the somewhat sensational passing attack, and the injury-depleted defense is hanging in; it wasn't to blame for two blocked punts that led to touchdowns.

I may be choking on it after this coming Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C., but to me this looks like the best team since Larry Coker's 2003 club went 11-2.

Most certainly, Team Shannon is still building, and will be for a good while longer.

Beating Wake Forest by only 28-27 last week will be used as a mark against any Cane claims to greatness just yet.

And, of course, Virginia Tech manhandled Miami 31-7, and there was that 40-37 overtime loss to Clemson.

What we see, though, is a strengthening of resolve and even ``brotherhood,'' in Harris' phrase, during a time when injuries could have brought the whole thing tumbling down.

The Canes are simply too explosive to have let that happen.

They are The Long Ball Bunch.

Witness: Harris' 35-yard touchdown pass to Leonard Hankerson for a 10-10 tie.

Thearon Collier's 60-yard punt return for a touchdown with three portrait-worthy blocks by C.J. Holton, Chavez Grant and Colin McCarthy for a 17-10 lead.

Harris' 29-yard pass to LaRon Byrd on the way to 31-17, where the game went out of Virginia's reach.

UM's defense cannot be highlighted so easily, but an interception of Harris set up Virginia for one touchdown and a blocked punt accounted for another.

Not much there to fault the Hurricanes' defense.

THIRD-DOWN SUCCESS

``Nice job on third down, too,'' said Shannon, whose men went 8 of 14 on third-down conversions while holding Virginia to 2 of 12.

Now, in overview, there seems no pressing need for UM to act immediately in renewing Shannon's contract, which is in the third of a four-year deal.

What is pressing is for UM to decide unequivocally to extend Shannon as soon as the season ends, no matter what gremlins might leap up in the form of even more injuries or any freak events.

He has earned it. Or you may say his players have earned it for him.

With Shannon, it is all the same. Which, in itself, makes for a great deal of the beauty of it.

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