By BRYAN STRICKLAND

bstrickland@heraldsun.com; 419-6671

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Duke wide receiver Donovan Varner offered a vivid description of the Virginia secondary that stood as the Blue Devils' primary concern Saturday.

"They were big and pretty," Varner said. "They were physical, and they manned us up the whole game."

The Cavaliers' combination of size and speed both in the secondary and along the defensive front threatened a Duke passing offense that had looked close to unstoppable entering Saturday's game, but the Blue Devils didn't stop throwing it and eventually found a way to find the end zone in a 28-17 victory.

"The best part of it was that we were somewhat relentless," Duke coach David Cutcliffe said after quarterback Thad Lewis fought through five sacks to throw for 343 yards. "We kept playing. I told [offensive coordinator] Kurt [Roper], 'Let's just keep throwing it. Keep throwing it.'

"Thad never backed off. He just kept it full throttle. He's got a lot of talent. If he just keeps on keeping on, he's going to make plays."

Lewis and the Blue Devils (5-3, 3-1 ACC) didn't have that much difficulty moving the ball, but they certainly had difficulty moving the ball into the end zone. Duke drove inside Virginia's 10-yard line four times over the first three-and-a-half quarters, but the Blue Devils couldn't punch in a single touchdown.

The first three ended in Will Snyderwine field goals, while the last drive ended when Lewis was picked off in the back of the end zone. As a result, the Blue Devils headed to the final eight minutes trailing 17-12.

"It's like you're in the back yard down there, and that's where the older, faster kids dominate," Cutcliffe said. "If you guys had come down there and stood where I was, you would have said, 'Oh my gosh, look at those guys.' They are really physical, and they're big guys. They're bigger than our linebackers, and they're playing in the secondary."

Duke didn't test Virginia in the red zone the rest of the game, yet the Blue Devils found the end zone two times to pull out the victory.

First, they reclaimed the lead when rookie receiver Conner Vernon got a step on cornerback Chris Cook over the middle and caught a Lewis pass in stride for a 42-yard score and an 18-17 lead with 3:45 left.

"Things are going to happen, and it's not going to be easy with their defense being as good as it is," Lewis said. "They presented us with some problems, but the offense did a great job of just continuing to fight."

Duke's defense, which yielded one first-quarter yard, nearly scored in the opening quarter when Leon Wright picked off his fourth pass this season and returned it to the Virginia 21.

It did score in the closing minutes, when Ayanga Okpokowuruk forced a fumble and Charlie Hatcher scooped it up at the 7 just three plays after Lewis and Vernon had given Duke the lead.

"We got a rotation going that kept us fresh," Hatcher said. "We knew it was going to be a tough-fought game going in, so we really came out firing. Our offense was doing an unbelievable job in the first half, keeping us off the field, so we were coming in there fresh.

"In the second half, they started clicking on us some, but we played a real good team game."

The total team effort started with the kicking of Snyderwine -- who finished with five field goals -- and continued with mostly dominant play by the defense.

But eventually, Duke's offense had to get in the end zone if the Blue Devils were to get in the win column.

"We just kept fighting and kept driving on them, and then we kept kicking field goals," said Varner, who along with Vernon topped 100 yards receiving. "We knew sooner or later we would break through.

"It was frustrating, but we kept competing, and in the end we were able to win the battle. We stayed focused and believed in each other."