Duke Blue Devils News

The legendary intensity of the Duke-UNC rivalry was once limited to just the Basketball court?not anymore.

Thaddeus Lewis has blossomed under coach David Cutcliffe during his senior season. With a win over North Carolina on Saturday, Duke likely would be headed to its first bowl game since a 1994 Hall of Fame Bowl appearance. And Duke senior QB Thaddeus Lewis deserves much of the credit. Lewis ranks ninth in the nation at 289.3 passing yards per game. He has 15 touchdowns against just four interceptions and has averaged 383 passing yards in four ACC games. Lewis spoke this week with Sporting News'... Derek Samson. Sporting News: What's the buzz like on campus? Is it strange everyone isn't already consumed with basketball at this time of year? Thaddeus Lewis: The buzz is big. Winning football games, that hasn't been done around here for a long time. Other athletes in different sports have been supporting us. The basketball guys, they've come out and they sat out there in the rain cheering us on. SN: Coach (David) Cutcliffe is known as a quarterback coach. What sets him apart? TL: Coach Cutcliffe and his staff coming in, they instilled the things that they believe in and are giving us the mindset that you're going to win each week. You have to be self-disciplined with him. He's instilled that. They don't allow us to slack at anything. They want us to be perfect in everything. SN: How do you go from losing to Richmond in September to winning three straight ACC games in October? TL: The guys easily could have went into a shell. We decided to make a change and put it all together. That's all it was. SN: Being childhood friends with (slain UConn CB) Jasper Howard, how tough have the past few weeks been on you? TL: It hit me kind of hard. But I had a responsibility to my team to get over it quick. I still can't believe he's gone. I'm dedicating every game to him for the rest of the season. I wear a T-shirt under my uniform every game with his picture on it. When you make a good play, you've got to soak it all in and know he's watching you. SN: You're also close friends with (Miami QB) Jacory Harris, aren't you? TL: Yeah, we played for the same Little League team. I was in high school and I worked with him a little bit. We played for different high schools and he started varsity when I graduated. I actually talked to him (Monday) night, joking with him. I give him positive feedback on what he's doing. SN: Is he shocked about what's going on at Duke? TL: A couple guys around the ACC have been saying to me, "Y'all are doing really good." I don't think they're shocked. But we've got to keep it going. We're still just trying to get over that hump. SN: How did you end up at Duke? TL: What's gonna happen if you're not able to play in the National Football League? Being at Duke and having an opportunity to get a degree from here, that's going to set me up for life after football. My major is sociology. I'd like to work with kids, mentor kids. I grew up with a single mom, so I know what it's like for a lot of them. A Duke education will help give me more opportunities after football. Derek Samson is a senior editor for Sporting News. Email him at dsamson@sportingnews.com.more>>

Temple is bowl eligible for the first time in 30 years. Duke and Stanford aren't far behind. What is going on? It's academic, Dennis Dodd says as he looks at perennial losers that are now winning.

There is a lot of positive buzz surrounding Duke Football these days.

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences and the teams within each league. Conf. rankings No. 1 SEC No. 2 Pac-10 No. 3 Big Ten No. 4 ACC No. 5 Big 12 No. 6 Big East Nos. 7-11 4. ACC 1. Georgia Tech 2. Miami 3.... Clemson 4. Virginia Tech 5. Boston College 6. Duke 7. Florida State 8. Wake Forest 9. Virginia 10. North Carolina 11. N.C. State 12. Maryland Rising Duke: Yep, Duke. Blue Devils have won three straight ACC games for the first time since some guy named Spurrier did it in the middle of an ACC championship season. Falling N.C. State: Wolfpack have lost four in a row, giving up 176 points (average of 44 points in those games). How in the world did this team beat Pitt? Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.more>>

The strangest things just seem to happen on Halloween.

If you live in Durham, NC and still haven't decided what to dress as for Halloween, then I've got an idea for you.

After the first weekend of the college football season, no one would have figured that come this Saturday Duke and Virginia would be playing for anything?but pride.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.-Virginia is doing a defensive about-face.

Not often has anyone been able to say that a game in late October is a crucial one for the Duke Blue Devils football team.

In the words of the immortal Vince Lombardi, "What the hell is goin' on?out here?"

DURHAM, N.C.- Lose to a Football Championship Subdivision team, contend for a division title?