Dwayne Stukes couldn't help it. As he spent his bye week watching top-ranked Florida State flounder in Death Valley, one thought kept crossing his mind: Peter Warrick looked rusty.
The Seminoles' premier playmaker missed the two contests prior to Clemson while his attorneys struck a plea bargain to reduce a felony theft charge to a misdemeanor and get the Hesiman contender back on the field.
Evidently a rusty Warrick -- 121 yards against the Tigers on a career-best 11 catches, is slightly different than than the normal definition of a struggling wideout. And Stukes knows better than to expect a lethargic Warrick in Charlottesville Saturday night.
"He had a lot on his mind," Stukes said. "I know he dropped some passes, and I know that [Chris] Weinke forced some passes to him. But I don't think he'll be rusty this weekend because he wants to prove to everybody that he should win the Hesiman."
While Warrick's presence in the Seminole lineup could make Stukes' Saturday evening rather unenjoyable, the Cav cornerback views his nearly impossible mission -- to neutralize college football's most electric performer, as stimulating.
"I know Warrick is like 90 percent of their offense, and if and when we beat them, I don't want there to be any excuses, that they didn't have their team there," Stukes said. "He's definitely a guy that you want to test your own ability against."
Warrick catches the ball, runs it, throws it, returns both kicks and punts and occasionally disappears behind a phone booth, but in the mind of first-year Jerton Evans, who hadn't even graduated from high school while Warrick torched Florida and Georgia Tech last year, the number one 'Nole is no superman. He's flesh and blood and Evans is coming after him.
"I don't look at Warrick as some supernatural receiver," Evans said. "When Peter Warrick comes across the middle, I'm going to try to knock his head off, whether he's supernatural or not."
Stukes does not see Warrick as a football freak of nature either, but as number nine in garnet and gold.
"It will probably be the biggest test I've faced in college, but I'm not scared," Stukes said. "He puts his pants on just like I put my pants on."
That same confidence applies to the entire Cavalier squad, which doesn't need to be reminded of the 1995 Seminole shocker to know it can butt heads with the beast of the ACC.
"Florida State is about a lot of intimidation," Stukes said. "I've seen teams be timid against Florida State, like they have a bunch of supermen on their team. Of course they have playmakers, but we have playmakers, too. It all comes down to execution."
So what does Virginia have up its sleeve to catch the mighty Seminoles off guard? Maybe some offensive trickery? Perhaps a changed defensive scheme? Acutally, nothing at all.
"We've just got to line up and execute," Virginia Coach George Welsh said. "We've got too many young kids to spend a whole week teaching them new stuff."
The Cavs may be young, especially in the secondary, but they are possibly the healthiest they've been since the season opener. Stukes and fellow defensive back Antwan Harris, who both played against N.C. State despite nagging leg injuries, will see significant time Saturday. Also, defensive lineman Monsanto Pope, who has missed the last six games with a torn MCL, resumes practice this week and will line up and end against the 'Noles.
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