University of Miami coach Randy Shannon remarked how proud he was of his Hurricanes beating Wake Forest on their final drive last Saturday -- despite his defense giving up 555 yards.

``Look at how we came back late against Wake,'' said Shannon, noting that his team held the Demon Deacons to seven points in the second half. ``Yeah, we're getting better. I never cared about statistics. Even when I was a coordinator, I never cared. The only thing that matters is wins and losses.''

Here is a statistical trend about which Shannon doesn't need to be reminded: UM lost its last three games in 2008 and its last four games in 2007.

Atlantic Coast Conference foe Virginia (3-5, 2-2 ACC) comes to Land Shark Stadium on homecoming Saturday to begin UM's final four-game stretch of the regular season, and the No. 16 Hurricanes (6-2, 3-2) are intent on preventing another late-season collapse.

The way to do that? Play fast and hard from beginning to end, several Hurricanes said this week. They acknowledged that it was easier and more motivating to go through the first stretch of the season than this past stretch.

Miami started its season at Florida State and then played Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma -- losing only in Blacksburg, Va. The Canes continued with Florida A&M, UCF, Clemson and Wake Forest -- barely getting by at Wake Forest and losing at home to Clemson in overtime.

UM was favored in its past four games, and is again Saturday by 13 ½ points.

``The offense and defense feed off each other,'' UM receiver Leonard Hankerson said. ``So we both talked about how we have to come out and work harder. I guess when you're expected to win games and know you can beat a team, you start out flat because nobody is hyped up. We talked about that, how we have to come out and score on the first drive -- every drive.''

Canes quarterback Jacory Harris echoed Hankerson.

``We're not playing up to our standards,'' Harris said. ``It's like we're just doing enough to get by [in games], when in practice we're giving 110 percent. Game time we slow the pace down sometimes. . . . I don't know how the fans see our season going, and I don't know how they feel about it. We just wish that we were 8-0.''

Strong-side linebacker Colin McCarthy said he also wishes the Canes would go into every game with the same amount of enthusiasm.

``I mean, lately, first drives against teams, they've started out strong with field goals or touchdowns,'' said McCarthy, who leads UM with 60 tackles. ``We've got to be more excited, I guess, in the beginning of games to try to stop them. We've got to find ways to get up for games that may not seem as [high-profile].''

Be assured that the Cavaliers, coached by veteran Al Groh, will be motivated.

After the Cavs trounced the Canes 48-0 in the last game at the Orange Bowl two seasons ago, they lost to UM in overtime in their homecoming game last season.

Harris led the Canes on a 95-yard drive in regulation that tied the score at 17-17 when LaRon Byrd caught a 26-yard touchdown pass with 55 seconds left. In overtime, Harris lofted a 9-yard touchdown pass to former high school teammate Aldarius Johnson.

``When a team has been through it they understand how to focus from play to play rather than on the overall circumstances of the moment,'' said Groh, who graduated from Virginia and began coaching there in 2001.

Groh was an assistant coach in the NFL from 1987 to '99, and was the New York Jets' head coach in 2000.

``There were a lot of players who made good plays last year against us, but it was a Jacory drive that did it,'' Groh said. ``. . . They have a way of playing built to [use] the advantage of the vertical speed they have, which is very significant and perhaps the best in the conference. And they have a quarterback who has plenty of arm who can get the ball there.''

Groh is having his own challenges this season. The Associated Press reported this week that his ``future as the school's football coach,'' according to Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage, will be decided at the end of the season.

The AP reported that Littlepage said in an e-mail that Groh will be evaluated on his ``full body of work'' and that the university's goal is to have fan support at games.

Virginia averaged 46,605 fans at its first five home games, down more than 7,000 from last season, when the Cavaliers finished 5-7.

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