MIAMI -- As time ran out in Miami's 65-7 trouncing of Washington, the old heroes milled about on the Orange Bowl sidelines, folding their arms in satisfaction and nodding in approval as deafening screams and rose petals came from the sky. From Bennie Blades to Selwyn Brown to Cortez Kennedy to Santana Moss: Hurricanes from the past returned tonight to make sure.

"This team has been our nemesis," said Bobby Harden, a safety from the Class of '89. "This shows me we were better in '91, better in '94, better last year and better now. This has been in our system for a long time."

	Ken Dorsey threw for 2,667 yards and 23 TDs last year.

Saturday brought Miami not just a convincing win, but an exorcism. Gone are memories of '91, when Dennis Erickson's Hurricanes had to share the program's last national title with Don James' Huskies. Gone are the shudders of '94, when Miami's ridiculous 58-game home win streak screeched to a halt after 35 second-half Husky points. And gone are the regrets from last season, when the Huskies robbed Miami of a shot at a national title.

"This was the team that messed us up last year," said tackle Bryant McKinnie. "We felt they didn't respect us."

So the Hurricanes made sure. Scores came like lightning, leaving no time for doubt to begin its creep. A 12-second touchdown drive. Another in 43. Then a score in 1:11. A Kellen Winslow safety. A Najeh Davenport TD in 0:21. Then a Jerome McDougle pick and runback for a score. All in the first half.

"We all remember last year," said center Brett Romberg. "This was all about last year."

Oh, there was other motivation. The evening also brought an eerie feeling that this weekend in college football would undo everything. The 'Canes watched in stunned silence Friday as Nebraska got crushed in Boulder. Ken Dorsey got chills when the crowd erupted upon hearing of Oklahoma's loss at home. "That could happen to anyone," Dorsey thought.

But tonight's atmosphere drowned any jitters. Mobs of fans criss-crossed dark streets in Miami as the sun went down. AC/DC's "Hell's Bell" welcomed them into the rickety Orange Bowl, where a scoreboard flashed "It's Payback Time."

"That gave us energy," McKinnie said. "The crowd wanted it as bad as we did."

More than 78,000 -- the first nighttime sellout since 1994 -- made the old place sway and creak. "When you go through that tunnel at night," said Blades, "you know you're the only show in town."

And now the Hurricanes truly are. They will stand undisputed atop the BCS standings, only one win away from Pasadena. Dorsey's three touchdowns tonight will finally erase the pain of his only loss as a starter, in last season's 34-29 loss in Seattle. Dorsey called it, "The worst feeling I could ever feel."

As cornerback Phillip Buchanon jogged off the field, he got a handshake and a big hug from a man he didn't recognize. It was Warren Williams, who played for the Hurricanes in the mid-'80s. Tonight was his first visit back to the Orange Bowl in 13 years. "This was about the hunger of everyone doubting us," Williams said. "And now I can see tradition lives on."