The way Miami's defense hogtied Central Florida on Saturday is giving Duke (3-2, 1-1 ACC) pause. Miami (3-3, 0-2) held UCF to 78 total yards and forced 12 punts. Duke didn't score at Georgia Tech on Oct. 4 and has yet to run the ball with any consistency.

"It's not a fluke; they're that good," Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. "They play a lot of people. They're good up front. They're extremely fast at linebacker and in the secondary. They made [UCF] look inept."

HOMETOWN BOY

Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis spent his Saturday off in Chapel Hill watching Notre Dame RB Armando Allen, his best friend from Miami, play well and still lose at North Carolina. Lewis will be trying Saturday to improve his 0-2 record against his hometown team, which includes six players he played with or against before college. Lewis doesn't think about the losses but said winning "would mean a lot [after] coming close two years in a row."

BANGED UP

Cutcliffe wouldn't say which Blue Devils missed practice during the off week because of injury. That's unusual for Cutcliffe, who usually gives informal updates on Sundays. He specifically said several players "could not" practice as opposed to just needing time off to get back to 100 percent healthy.

LOOKING AHEAD

Duke hosts Miami at 3:30 p.m., and ESPNU will televise a Duke game for the third time this season. Duke hasn't had that kind of exposure in years.

"I think it's been good for us," Cutcliffe said. "I think a lot of people are talking about Duke football."

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