If defense really wins championships, then Virginia still has a chance to make some noise in the ACC’s Coastal Division this season.

Coming into this season, Virginia cornerback Ras-I Dowling had been touted as a guy with NFL potential.

Reigning player of the year Jonathan Dwyer and rookie of the year Russell Wilson headline the all-ACC preseason team. Junior cornerback Ras-I Dowling was the only Virginia player selected to the team.

While UVa defensive backs had a few hiccups in the first half, the unit came up huge when it really counted.

Thanks to 28 second-half points, Duke pulled away to blast Virginia, 31-3, at Wallace Wade Stadium, giving the Blue Devils their first ACC win since Nov. 13, 2004 and their most lopsided league win in 18 years.
UVa vs. Duke forum thread.

Virginia coach Al Groh said he did not want to risk playing Peerman, who was listed with a leg injury on the team’s injury report on Thursday.

The last time Virginia lost on the road to Duke in 1994, Kevin Ogletree was a 7-year-old elementary school student living in Queens, N.Y.

In Rain Man-like fashion, Al Groh spouted out number after number Tuesday during his weekly press conference in the depths of John Paul Jones Arena. Every set of digits tossed out relayed the scary proposition that awaits Virginia’s football coach on Saturday at Connecticut.

“This was a little bit different than high school,” said Minnifield, after Trojans quarterback Mark Sanchez had torched Virginia’s secondary for 338 yards and three touchdowns. “There were some big guys out there and they could run, too.”

Don’t expect any long-winded conversations with Virginia starting cornerback Ras-I Dowling. If a question can be answered in 20 words, Ras-I can do it in 10.