Blue Devil Rewind: Lewis Leads Duke in Raleigh

This series will take an inside look at top moments in Duke football history and are not meant to be a complete listing of all memorable accomplishments, but a sampling of great moments as determined by the GoDuke.com staff.

On occasion, an athlete is defined by whether or not he or she was a great player during the course of a career. Sometimes, these individuals even have breakout seasons that reinforce that sentiment. While all that is true for Thaddeus Lewis, there is one day in particular where he solidified his name in Duke football lore – the 2009 Duke-N.C. State game in Raleigh.

Leading up to the contest, one of the biggest storylines was how Duke was going to fair against the Wolfpack's starting quarterback, future NFL All-Pro Russell Wilson. The year prior, Wilson threw two touchdown passes in the first half and wide receiver J.C. Neal had a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown en route to a 27-17 victory in Durham.

Almost 11 months to the day from that previous meeting, it was October 10th and the two schools, separated by just 22 miles, were back on the gridiron under sunny skies and a temperature of 77 degrees. As the contest got underway, fans knew right away they were going to be in for a special night.

Lewis completed a school single-game record 40 passes in 50 attempts for a career-high 459 yards and accounted for six touchdowns to lead the Blue Devils past N.C. State, 49-28. The 40 completions broke the previous school standard of 38 by Ben Bennett against Wake Forest in 1980. Lewis' total passing yardage was the fourth-highest highest in a single game in school history. It marked the second time Lewis threw for 400 or more yards in his career as he had 428 at Navy in 2007. It also was the 12th 400-yard passing game in program history.

Lewis' six touchdowns responsible for matched the single-game school record for TD responsibility set previously by Tom Powers (1950 vs. Richmond) and equaled by Steve Slayden (1987 vs. Georgia Tech).

Duke took the game's opening drive 70 yards, capped off by Lewis's two-yard touchdown strike to Brett Huffman. Lewis completed 7-of-8 passes on the march for 63 yards. Following Duke's 11-play opening drive, N.C. State returned the favor on its first offensive series with Wilson running the ball 10 yards into the end zone to notch the score at 7-7.

Duke responded on its second drive thanks to a two-yard touchdown dive by Lewis. The Blue Devils covered 71 yards in 12 plays to go up 14-7 with 30 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Lewis completed a 13-yard pass to Huffman from the N.C. State 18-yard line on 3rd-and-13 to extend the drive. However, the Wolfpack tied the game at 14 eight seconds later on a 63-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Owen Spencer.

Duke went back up 21-14 with Lewis finding Re'quan Boyette in the end zone for the seven-yard touchdown pass. For Boyette, it was his first career touchdown catch, while Lewis set the Duke career touchdown passes record, eclipsing Bennett.

Staying on the heels of the Blue Devils, N.C. State matched Duke again to tie the game on a nine-yard run from Tony Baker. The two teams headed into the locker room at half knotted at 21.

The Blue Devils produced some defensive pressure in the second half, forcing a Wolfpack punt, which led to Duke putting together a nine-play, 97-yard scoring drive to go up, 28-21. Lewis hooked up with Danny Parker for his third touchdown pass of the game and Parker's first career touchdown reception.

And back-and-forth the game went as T.J. Graham returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for the score to tie the game at 28. Just over four minutes later, the Blue Devils jumped back in front, 35-28, after Lewis hooked up with Austin Kelly for an eight-yard score.

On the next Duke possession, a sack of Lewis on third down brought the punt team to the field. Kevin Jones booted the ball 34 yards with the football bouncing and striking an NC State player along the way. Tony Foster recovered the loose ball, regaining possession for the designated visitors at the Wolfpack 11-yard line.

Three plays later, Lewis found the end zone again, this time hitting Conner Vernon for the five-yard touchdown strike to extend Duke's lead to 42-28 and wrap up his five passing touchdown performance.

Duke's final point total of 49 was the most scored in an ACC game since Oct. 22, 1994, when the Blue Devils won, 51-26, at Wake Forest.

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FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW
Thaddeus Lewis (Duke Quarterback, 2006-09) – "I remember that game like it was yesterday. I was a senior and they were hyping Russell (Wilson) up. I was mad because I was like this is my league and they gave him First Team All-ACC over me the year before, so this was personal. I explained this to our offense when we met and Coach (Kurt) Roper asked me what I wanted the first play to be. I said a pass and when I completed it, we kept calling them. I was in the zone and I knew if we could get this win our team would believe we can beat anyone at their place. It worked out because if I'm not mistaken, we went on to beat Virginia at Virginia that year.

"During the game I told the offense that they can't stop us and to lets try to score on every possession we can. The defining moment was when we were backed up at our own two-yard line and I said, 'let's go 98 yards and score'. And we ended up doing just that. It was a fun, epic game and I still remember it like the back of my hand.

"After the game, Coach Cut told me I put on an 'Opa-Locka' performance. That's where I'm from in Florida and he said that was one of the best games he's ever seen a quarterback have. And he has coached the greats so that stuck with me.

"But shout out to Kurt Roper for believing in me and dialing up all those passes. I also want to acknowledge Donovan (Varner). They played cover 2 a lot during that game and I told him the middle was open. I said, "if you get open I'm going to find you" – and we did."

Re'quan Boyette (Duke Running Back, 2005-09) – "That was one hell of a game by Thad! Playing State was huge because we do not get that opportunity often, so we wanted to play well and make our mark in the state of North Carolina. Thad made his mark on Duke football and the ACC on that day with his performance. He was in a different zone. He had to be with us playing Russell Wilson on the other side. I remember them going back-and-forth, touchdown throw for touchdown throw, but in the end Thad outdueled him and without him we never win that game. This was definitely one of the great moments in Duke football history and I am glad to have been a part of it and apart of T. Lew's success."

David Cutcliffe (Duke Head Football Coach, 2012-pres.)* – "I will probably upset a couple of my former quarterbacks, but I believe that is the finest game that I have had a quarterback have in college. He was really special. We handled their pressure and we handled their zone and when you can do that you can throw the football."

*Excerpt taken from postgame quote sheet

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Blue Devil Rewind: Lewis Leads Duke in Raleigh

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