Ras-I Dowling Biography

AT VIRGINIA
2009 - All-ACC second-team selection ... all-ACC second-team selection by Phil Steele's Postseason Publication ... presented the team's Speed Elliot Award as the most improved player ... ACC Defensive Back of the Week after he had a career-high nine tackles, including his first career sack against Indiana ... ranked No. 6 in ACC in passes defended with 11 ... ranked No. 11 in ACC in interceptions with three ... helped anchor the ACC's No. 4 and the nation's No. 21 pass defense ... helped hold 9-of-12 opponents under their season passing yardage average ... registered two of his interceptions to stop potential opponent scoring drives - one against Boston College in the end zone and one at then No. 16 Miami on the UVa 32-yard line ... his 49-yard interception return at Miami was a career best ... had a career-high 10 tackles against Virginia Tech ... his 34-yard punt return vs. TCU (off a lateral) was longest by UVa player during the season ... earned his third letter ... selected by the UVa coaches as the defensive player of the game against Miami, Indiana and North Carolina. 2008-Played in 11 games, starting the final nine games of the season ... led the team with three interceptions and 11 pass breakups ... had a total of 43 tackles ... had a huge game at Duke with career highs for tackles (eight) and interceptions (two) ... also picked off a pass against Maryland, the fifth interception of his career ... his interception total was the most by a Cavalier since Marcus Hamilton had in 2006 ... ranked third in the ACC in passes defended (PBUs + INTs) with 14. 2007-One of five true freshmen to play ... did not play in opener at Wyoming, but played in the last 12 games ... finished with 44 tackles ... averaged 3.7 tackles per game, eighth among all ACC freshmen and fourth among true freshmen ... led the team with nine pass break-ups ... shared the team lead with two interceptions to become the first true freshman to lead the team since Jerton Evans in 1999 ... 16 tackles in kickoff coverage led the team by a wide margin ... second on squad with five tackles on the punt team ... tied school record with five pass break-ups at NC State ... had seven tackles and his first career interception in that game ... also had seven tackles in Gator Bowl vs. Texas Tech ... started for the first time against Wake Forest and intercepted a pass for the second game in a row ... four tackles, all in kick coverage, in his debut against Duke ... named the coaches' special teams player of the week for performance against Pittsburgh ... helped defense allow just nine rushing touchdowns, the second lowest total in ACC and fifth in the nation ... key member of a defense that ranked 16th nationally at 19.7 points allowed per game ... UVa defense was 13th in rushing, allowing just 106.9 ypg. and 23rd in total defense allowing 332.5 yards per game.

High School and Personal
Versatile athlete who played defensive back, wide receiver and some quarterback during his career ... played a postgrad season for coach Robert Prunty at Hargrave Military Academy following his senior year at Deep Creek HS, where he was coached by David Cox ... made 60 tackles and intercepted two passes to earn first-team all-city and second-team all-district honors as a senior ... also caught 14 passes for 255 yards and four touchdowns ... also played basketball and was a two-time second-team all-district selection ... sprinter on the track team ... full name is Ras-I Luis Dowling ... son of Juliette and Larry Dowling ... has an older sister, Tiki, and two older brothers, Larry, Jr., and Omar.

Dowling Interceptions