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DURHAM Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis measures his confidence on a scale that reads "through the roof." The senior is more comfortable in his role than at any time since arriving four years ago and becoming the Blue Devils' starter as a freshman.
"Thad is in a zone right now," senior running back Re'quan Boyette said. "He's making all the right throws. Making all the right reads. Making all the right checks, getting us into the right protections."
Lewis, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound pocket passer from Opa-locka, Fla., has found nirvana in Duke's spread offense under coach David Cutcliffe. It's his second year in a new system, and it's clear he has reached an elevated level as a passer, leading the Blue Devils (5-3, 3-1 ACC) on a three-game winning streak.
As they prepare for Saturday's game against North Carolina, their quarterback is at the center of attention for his savvy, poise, accuracy and dependable right throwing arm.
"Our guy, if you look at what he has done over the past four weeks, tell me a quarterback that has played better," Cutcliffe said after Lewis led the Blue Devils in a come-from-behind victory at Virginia on Saturday.
Lewis has steered Duke's offense to an average of 433.0 total yards and 33.8 points over the past five games. During that span, he's passed for an average of 347.5 yards per game.
After throwing for 459 yards Oct. 10 at N.C. State, 371 yards Oct. 24 against Maryland and 343 yards at Virginia, Lewis became the first player in school history to throw for more than 2,000 yards in four straight seasons. Only two other players - N.C. State's Philip Rivers and Wake Forest's Riley Skinner - have equaled that feat in ACC history.
Lewis was limited by an ankle injury and H1N1 early in the season and missed much of training camp. He performed poorly and was even replaced for segments by freshman Sean Renfree at Army and Kansas.
He returned, however, with a desire to show his maturity and growth. Since the game against N.C. Central, he's demonstrated a deft touch combined with an accuracy that has him ranked second in passing yards in the conference and ninth in the nation.
