BDNP

BDN caught up to former Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, who spoke of his young career with the St. Louis Rams, Duke Football, the NFL lockout, Sean Renfree and Duke Hoops.  Lewis, who has been working out at Duke, was the back up quarterback for the Rams in his rookie season.

DURHAM, N.C. –

Lewis will play for the Texas squad, coached by Howard Schnellenberger, who guided Miami to the 1983 national championship.  Former Dallas Cowboys standout Bill Bates will coach the Nation unit.

A native of Opa-Locka, Fla., Lewis closed out an outstanding career with 48 school records including career marks for total offensive yards (9,987), passing yards (10,065), pass completions (877), pass attempts (1,510), touchdown passes (67), 300-yard passing games (11) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (1.68:1). In 2009, he completed 274-of-449 (.610) pass attempts for 3,330 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. One of just two quarterbacks in ACC history to throw for over 10,000 yards in a career, Lewis paced the league in passing yards per game (277.5), and his 3,330 passing yards rank as the second-highest single-season total in Duke history. Lewis, who earned second team All-ACC honors in 2008, is Duke’s first two-time all-conference quarterback since Ben Bennett captured first squad honors in both 1982 and 1983.

Other former ACC players scheduled to play in the game include Brent Bowden (P, Virginia Tech), Derrick Epps (TE, Miami), Toney Baker (RB, N.C. State), Cory Jackson (FB, Maryland), Kyle Jolly (OT, North Carolina), Will Barker (OG, Virginia), E.J. Wilson (DE, North Carolina) and Travis Ivey (DT, Maryland).

Photo by Lance King

DURHAM, N.C. – Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner threw for 372 yards and five touchdowns as the Demon Deacons defeated the Duke Blue Devils, 45-34, Saturday afternoon in front 21,420 fans at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis turned in a strong performance in his final game, completing 28-of-48 passes for 387 yards and three touchdowns. For his career, Lewis totaled 10,065 passing yards to become the 60th quarterback in NCAA history to reach the 10,000-yard mark for his career, and the eighth this season. Lewis’ 67 career touchdown passes is also the second-highest career total in ACC history.

Receiver Donovan Varner finished the day with 11 receptions for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Varner caught 65 passes for 1,047 yards in 2009 to become just the third player in Duke history with over 1,000 yards receiving in a single season.

Receivers Conner Vernon and Austin Kelly both collected 93 receiving yards, while tailback Desmond Scott totaled 252 all-purpose yards on the afternoon. Senior linebacker Vincent Rey paced the Blue Devil defense with 11 tackles.

Both offenses dominated the first quarter as the two teams combined for 329 total yards and four touchdowns in the opening 7:39. Duke struck first, 1:04 into the first quarter on the third play of the day with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Lewis to Varner.

Wake Forest would tie the score less than two minutes later as Skinner hit receiver Devon Brown with a 28-yard pass on the Deacons’ fourth play of the afternoon.

The Blue Devils took the lead again, needing only 1:04 and three plays to reach the end zone. This time, Lewis found Kelly breaking through the middle for a 62-yard gain.

On Wake Forest’s following possession, the Blue Devil defense forced a punt, but a personal foul penalty gave the Deacons the ball back near midfield. Wake’s offense capitalized on the Duke miscue, knotting the score at 14-all on a 54-yard touchdown pass from Skinner to receiver Chris Givens.

The Demon Deacons took the lead for good early in the second quarter, covering 55 yards in eight plays. Skinner tossed his third touchdown pass of the game, again finding Brown for an eight-yard strike.

On Duke’s following possession, tailback Jay Hollingsworth rushed for two first downs to push the Devil offense across midfield, but Duke stalled in Wake territory. However, Kicker Will Snyderwine connected on a 51-yard field goal attempt, the longest of his career, and the Blue Devils trailed 21-17 heading into halftime.

Yet the third quarter would belong to the Demon Deacons, with Skinner throwing for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the period, including a 13-yard strike to tailback Kevin Harris and a 51-yard pass to receiver Marshall Williams.

Duke was able to add a field goal in the third quarter, but trailed 35-20 heading into the fourth. A missed Wake field goal gave the Devils the ball back, and Lewis punched the ball in from the one-yard line to cut Wake’s lead to 35-27 after an 80-yard drive.

But the Blue Devils could not narrow the lead any farther and Wake Forest would add a field goal and run back an interception to take a 45-27 lead late in the fourth quarter. Duke added another touchdown, a 21-yard reception by Varner, with 2:31 left in the game, but Wake Forest was able to run out the clock for win.

Thaddeus plays his last game this Saturday against Wake Forest - BDN Photo

Duke fans have one more chance to see Thaddeus Lewis in a Duke uniform this Saturday against Wake Forest.  Lewis talks about his future and his glee in getting a diploma from Duke and much more in this audition interview.  BDN salutes Thad and the seniors and we will covering his last game from field level this weekend.  Come out and support some great seniors and help cheer Duke to a win and a 6-6 season.

Big Vince is expected back for the Wake game - BDN Photo

Duke (5-6, 3-4 ACC)
vs. Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5 ACC)
November 28, 2009
12 noon (ET)

Site: Durham, N.C.
Stadium: Wallace Wade Stadium
Surface: Natural grass
Capacity: 33,941
TV: Raycom Sports – Tim Brant (Play-by-Play), Rick “Doc” Walker (Analyst) and Mike Hogewood (Sideline)
Radio: Blue Devil ISP Sports Network
Internet: GoDuke.com
Tickets: 1-877-375-DUKE
Series: Duke, 53-34-2

Duke Hosts Wake Forest On Senior Day
Duke (5-6, 3-4 ACC) will host Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5 ACC) on Senior Day this Saturday, Nov. 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 noon (ET) at Wallace Wade Stadium. The game will be televised on Raycom Sports with Tim Brant calling the play-by-play, Rick “Doc” Walker providing the color commentary and Mike Hogewood on the sideline. The Blue Devils are coming off a 34-16 loss at No. 20 Miami last weekend while the Demon Deacons had a bye week and lost to Florida State, 41-28, in their last game.

Last Time Out
Duke led 16-13 heading into the fourth quarter, but Miami scored 21 unanswered points to come away with a 34-16 win at Land Shark Stadium. Thaddeus Lewis broke Duke’s career record for passing yards with his 303-yard performance. His top target was Donovan Varner who caught eight passes for 165 yards and one touchdown. Miami was led by Jacory Harris, who threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns, and Leonard Hankerson, who finished with eight receptions for 143 yards and one touchdown.

Duke-Wake Forest Series
Duke leads the all-time series between the two schools 53-34-2. The Demon Deacons have won the last nine games in the series. Duke’s last win was a 48-35 win in Durham in 1999.

Overall: Duke, 53-34-2
First Meeting: Wake Forest, 32-0 in 1889
Last Meeting: Wake Forest, 33-30 (OT) in 2008
Largest Duke Margin of Victory: 67 (67-0) in 1937
Largest WF Margin of Victory: 38 (44-6) in 2005
Duke’s Last Win in Durham: 1999 (48-35)
Wake Forest’s Last Win in Durham: 2007 (41-36)
Current Streak: Wake Forest, W9

Last Meeting
The Demon Deacons came out on top in overtime as Shane Popham made a 28-yard field goal and Alphonso Smith intercepted a Lewis pass in the endzone for a 33-30 victory. Popham finished the day with three made field goals while Riley Skinner threw and ran for a touchdown. Duke was led by Thaddeus Lewis, who threw two TD tosses to Clifford Harris.

Inside the Numbers …

• 1 – Senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis will move into a tie for fourth on the ACC career passing touchdowns chart with one more touchdown passes. Lewis currently ranks fifth with 64 career scoring tosses.
• 2nd – Sophomore wide receiver Donovan Varner ranks second in the ACC for both receptions per game (4.91) and receiving yards per game (79.4).
• 3 – True freshman Conner Vernon is three catches shy of 50 for the year, which would put him in third place for most receptions by a freshman in ACC history. Vernon also ranks fifth all-time in league history with 653 receiving yards, 42 shy of climbing into third place.
• 13 – Senior linebacker Vincent Rey is 13 tackles away from his third straight 100-tackle season. He is looking to become just the seventh player in school history with 100 or more tackles in three or more seasons.
• 15 – Duke will honor 15 players this Saturday on senior day.
• 15 – Junior walk-on Will Snyderwine has made 15 field goals this season to rank tied for third in school history for a single season. He is 15-of-18 (.833) on the year, which is currently the highest percentage for one season by a Duke kicker.
• 20 – The Blue Devils have held five opponents under 20 points this season, marking the first time since 1994.
• 45 – The Blue Devils have tallied 45 plays of 20 or more yards on the season with five plays of over 50 yards. Varner has 16 receptions of 20 or more yards.
• 48 – Lewis currently holds 48 school records, including 25 career records, 17 single season marks and six single game records.
• 54 – Varner has 54 catches this season to rank ninth on Duke’s single season receptions list for wide receivers. Varner and junior wide receiver Austin Kelly have become two of the 20 players at Duke with at least 50 catches in one season.
• 97 – Duke has a Graduate Success Rate score of 97, the highest in the ACC. The football team’s score of 96 was the highest among Football Bowl Subdivision schools with only six programs posting a 90 or better.
• 100 – Varner has four 100-yard receiving games this year, all in ACC play. His four 100-yard games are tied for fifth most in a single season at Duke.
• 127 – Varner needs 127 receiving yards to become the fifth player in school history with 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He is currently ranked seventh for a single season with 873 yards.
• 162 – Lewis needs 162 passing yards to pass Chris Weinke of Florida State for second on the ACC career passing list. Lewis has thrown for a school record 9.678 yards in his career.
• 297.5 – Duke leads the ACC and ranks 10th nationally in passing offense, averaging 297.5 yards per game. The Blue Devils have thrown for over 300 yards in six games this season.
• 300 – Lewis has passed for over 300 yards in six of the 11 games this year. His six 300-yard games are the second most in a single season at Duke while his 10 career 300-yard games ties a school record.
• 700 – With 47 receiving yards Kelly will join Varner with 700 receiving yards on the year, making the duo just the fourth in school history with over 700 yards each.
• 3,000 – Lewis is 67 passing yards away from becoming the fourth quarterback in school history to throw for 3,000 yards in one season. Ben Bennett accomplished the feat in 1982 and 1983 while Anthony Dilweg has the single season record with 3,824 yards in 1988.

As a senior, Lewis has excelled by breaking multiple career passing records. In addition to becoming the all time leader at Duke in career passing yards, Lewis set records for touchdown passes thrown, career pass attempts, career pass completions, and career total offense. Lewis has thrown for 64 touchdowns during his career, attempted 1462 passes, completed 849 passes, and rolled up 9,599 yards of total offense eclipsing Spence Fisher’s previous mark of 9,110 yards.

The 303 yard performance against Miami was Lewis’ 10th career 300 yard game, which ties him with Anthony Dilweg for the school record.

After completing 40-50 passes for 459 yards and five touchdowns, against North Carolina State, Coach Cutcliffe stated, “I believe that was the finest game I’ve had a quarterback have in college.” That is high praise coming from a coach who previously coached Peyton and Eli Manning.

But Lewis wasn’t finished; he went out and completed 30-43 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns in leading Duke to a 17-13 victory over Maryland. Then he led Duke to their third consecutive ACC victory, 28-17 over Virginia, by completing 24-40 passes for 343 yards and a touchdown.

Lewis, and the entire offense, has benefited from playing in the same offensive system under the same coaching staff for a second consecutive season, for the first time in their careers. Lewis knows the offense, which allows him to be comfortable and confident on the field. Duke heads into the final game of the season with a 5-6 (3-4 ACC) record in a season that has kept fans in Durham excited about football into late November for the first time in many years.

Lewis’ career at Duke started on September 2, 2006, when the true freshman was inserted during the first game of the season against Richmond and completed 15-24 passes for 148 yards in the 13-0 loss to the Spiders. Lewis started the next 11 games and threw for 2134 and 11 touchdowns on the season. However, he was sacked 38 times and threw 16 interceptions.

The Sporting News named Lewis honorable mention Freshman All America as his 2134 yards passing set a Duke record for passing yards by a freshman. Lewis threw four touchdown passes against North Carolina, which was the most thrown by a Duke freshman since Dave Brown threw four against Wake Forest in 1989.

As a freshman, Lewis had his two best games against in-state rivals Wake Forest and North Carolina. On September 9, 2006, Lewis completed 21-32 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown against Wake Forest. Against North Carolina, on November 25, 2006, Lewis completed 20-35 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns. Unfortunately, Duke lost both games as part of a 0-11 season.

As a sophomore, Lewis would have to learn a new offensive system as Duke brought in Peter Vaas, from Notre Dame, to serve as passing game coordinator. Lewis responded by completing 199-360 passes for 2430 yards with 21 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. However, Lewis was sacked 44 times during his sophomore season.

Against Navy, on September 22, 2007, Lewis had the best game of his sophomore season throwing for 428 yards and four touchdowns to wide receiver Eron Riley. However, Duke lost the game 46-43 as the Midshipman scored the games final 14 points.

The arrival of Coach David Cutcliffe in Lewis’s junior season meant Lewis would have to learn another offensive system. His third system in three years as the starting quarterback at Duke, and Lewis quickly proved he was up to the challenge and proceeded to earn Second Team All ACC honors by completing 62.1 percent of his passes for 2171 yards and 15 touchdowns. Moreover, Duke won four games with Lewis decreasing his interceptions to six and only being sacked 16 times. Those numbers suggested real success for Duke Football was just around the corner.

As a junior, Lewis enjoyed his greatest success in a 41-31 defeat of Navy on September 13, 2008. Lewis completed 25-35 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns to wide receiver Eron Riley.

Duke hosts Wake Forest at Wallace Wade Stadium next Saturday November 28th in the final regular season contest of the 2009 campaign. Blue Devil Nation encourages all Duke Fans to come out, join in the festivities, and cheer on Lewis and the entire Blue Devil squad.

Devils fall short in Miami and turn their attenton to Wake in an effort to finish the season at .500

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Thaddeus Lewis became Duke’s all-time leading passer, but it wasn’t enough as the Blue Devils fell to No. 20 Miami, 34-16, in front of 38,200 fans at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Duke falls to 5-6 overall and 3-4 in ACC play, while Miami improves to 8-3 overall and 5-3 in the conference.

Early in the fourth quarter, Lewis threw an eight-yard pass to Austin Kelly to move past Ben Bennett on Duke’s all-time passing yardage list.  Bennett threw for 9,614 career yards from 1980-83.  With one game remaining in his collegiate career, Lewis has 9,678 yards – a total that ranks third best in ACC history trailing only N.C. State’s Philip Rivers (13,484) and Florida State’s Chris Weinke (9,839).

Miami scored the game’s final 24 points for the win on Saturday as Duke dropped to 8-1 under head coach David Cutcliffe when leading after three quarters.  Heading into the fourth period, the Blue Devils led by three points, 16-13, before the Hurricanes scored three touchdowns to account for the final margin.

The Blue Devils claimed a 3-0 lead just over nine minutes into the contest when Will Snyderwine booted a 30-yard field goal.  The five-play, 68-yard scoring drive was set up by Vincent Rey‘s second interception of the year and highlighted by a 64-yard pass from Thaddeus Lewis to Donovan Varner down the right sideline.  Miami countered with a 33-yard field goal from Matt Bosher to tie the game at the 1:25 mark of the opening period.

Desmond Scott‘s 47-yard kickoff return set up Snyderwine’s second successful field goal of the day, a 49-yard effort that pushed Duke back ahead, 6-3, with 14:50 left in the second quarter.

Miami took its first lead of the afternoon at the 4:50 mark of the second period when Jacory Harris hooked up with Tervaris Johnson for a five-yard scoring pass.  The touchdown capped a 12-play, 80-yard drive that took 4:52 off the clock.  Duke responded immediately as Lewis engineered an eight-snap, 80-yard march and hit Varner for a 24-yard touchdown with 2:17 prior to intermission.

Duke took the kickoff to start the third quarter and moved 60 yards on 10 plays for a 26-yard field goal by Snyderwine.  The kick increased the lead to 16-10 at the 11:05 mark.  The Hurricanes cut the lead in half with a 12-play, 54-yard drive that resulted in a 25-yard field goal by Bosher.

Following a Duke punt, a two-yard touchdown run by Miami’s Damien Berry completed a 15-play, 90-yard drive and provided the Hurricanes with a 20-16 advantage at the 13:41 mark of the fourth quarter.  Miami extended the lead to 27-16 with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Harris to Leonard Hankerson with 7:37 remaining in the game.  Darryl Sharpton rounded out the scoring with a 73-yard interception return for a touchdown with just over six minutes left.

Lewis finished with 303 passing yards on 20-of-37 throws.  The 300-yard day is his sixth of the year and the 10^th of his career to move into a tie for first place on Duke’s all-time chart, matching Anthony Dilweg’s 10 300-yard efforts from 1985-88.

Varner paced the Duke receiving unit with eight catches for 165 yards.

For Miami, Harris was 25-of-43 through the air for 348 yards while Berry rushed for 76 yards on 16 attempts.  Hankerson had eight grabs for 143 yards.

The Blue Devils conclude the 2009 season next Saturday at home against Wake Forest.  Kickoff at Wallace Wade Stadium is set for 12 noon and the game will be televised live by Raycom Sports.

Lewis hopes to get his first win over North Carolina this Saturday - BDN Photo

Thaddeus Lewis has been on a roll and he hopes to find a way to continue that versus arch rival North Carolina  when the two meet on ESPNU on Saturday. Here are his thoughts on the rivalry and more -

Just press play -