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New attitude: Duke football gets believers
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Published: October 12, 2009
RALEIGH
Before David Cutcliffe answers questions after games, he makes it a point to thank the Duke fans for coming.
If Duke continues to play like it did Saturday in a 49-28 win over N.C. State, there are going to be a lot more fans to thank.
In past years the only thing to look forward to in mid-October was the start of basketball practice. But now there's plenty to talk about, and it has nothing to do with point guards or power forwards or Coach K.
"It's kind of surreal," Cutcliffe said Saturday night after the Blue Devils dominated the Wolfpack to improve to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the ACC. "We haven't felt this way in a long time at Duke."
Cutcliffe, in his second season at Duke, had a breakthrough first season when Duke went 4-8, a vast improvement when you consider that Duke had four wins combined in the previous four seasons. Duke was 3-1 at one point last season, and expectations grew. But it struggled, winning just one of its final eight games.
There's a different swagger to Duke this season, and it starts with senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. He had the game of his life, completing 40 of 50 passes for a career-best 459 yards (the fourth highest in school history) with five touchdowns. He also ran for a score.
"We're finding our niche and finding our stride," Cutcliffe said about the offense.
The Blue Devils, who are halfway through their seaso n, have Saturday off, but will play reeling Maryland at Wallace Wade Stadium on Oct. 24.
Along the way Saturday, Lewis passed Ben Bennett for the most career touchdown passes in school history with 59.
For most of Lewis' career he's put up impressive numbers, but they've usually been in games that Duke has lost. Not this time.
"I can accept it, but I can't take the credit because guys around me helped me get that record," Lewis said after the Blue Devils broke a 20-game ACC road losing streak.
"To break the school record and get a win, it feels great."
Cutcliffe said that the break comes at a good time, even though Duke is coming off its best performance of the season.
"We're the kind of football team that we have to improve," Cutcliffe said. "We're going to use the open date to heal, but I've already got news for our players -- we're going to use that open date to get better.
"We just have to keep striving to be the best that we can be."
The bandwagon is filling up fast.
"I'm hopeful people will come and enjoy our ball games," Cutcliffe said. "If you are at Duke and you look at the basketball program with the atmosphere at Cameron Indoor Stadium, that ignites a team and I've seen that type of atmosphere in football so it can be done."
jdell@wsjournal.com
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