UVa’s stingy secondary to be tested by Duke

CHARLOTTESVILLE — At times last Saturday, Virginia’s cornerbacks felt like they weren’t even playing the game.

Chris Cook and Ras-I Dowling anchor the ACC’s best pass defense, and Georgia Tech didn’t have any interest in trying to throw on them — there were just eight passes attempted all game.

“Those guys are always saying they wish they had more action,” coach Al Groh said. “Well, they’re going to get their wish.”

Today’s matchup against Duke provides an intriguing subplot as the UVa secondary goes head-to-head against Thaddeus Lewis and the best passing offense in the conference.

Lewis, along with coach David Cutcliffe, has turned Duke back into a respectable program. His 40-for-50 outing against N.C. State, including five touchdowns and no interceptions, was praised by Cutcliffe as the best outing he’d ever seen — no small praise from a coach who worked with the Manning brothers.

Today he’ll get a chance to test his skills against Dowling and Cook.

The duo share a laid-back style, but get fiercely competitive during practices against the offense.

“We don’t want to give up any big plays — no matter what day of the week it is,” Cook said. “Even in practice, I hate it when anybody catches the ball.”

Cook is a senior, Dowling a junior, but that’s pretty much where the differences end. Both are 6-2, about 200 pounds, and have the speed to hang with any team’s receivers.

“We’re both just trying to get out and make plays,” Dowling said. “There aren’t a lot of differences between us.”

Cook added that the two also have a laid-back style.

“We don’t really stress over things too much, we just let the game come to us,” he said. “We feel like we have enough talent to play with anybody, really.”

They’ll get an opportunity to prove that today against a Duke team that isn’t going to shy away from the challenge.

Through seven games, the Blue Devils are averaging 323 yards per game in the air, and have all but abandoned the run in favor of Lewis’s arm.

“This is the hardest-hitting defensive team that we will play,” Cutcliffe said. “It should be a lot of fun to see where it all falls, but we certainly better be prepared against their speed and skill and athleticism.”

He added that no matter how strong that defensive test was, the Blue Devils intended to stick with the passing game throughout the day.

That’s good news for the secondary, which has been underworked in recent weeks but will be challenged today.

“For a player to go 15, 18, or even 20 plays in a row and not be involved — then keep the hammer down for the next play, that’s a challenge for a lot of guys,” Groh said. “It shouldn’t be an issue this week.”