Good athletes are defined by their technique and form. Great athletes separate themselves with something that cannot be coached-the intangibles.
Although it may be too early to call true freshman quarterback Thaddeus Lewis a great player, he exhibited traits in Saturday's 14-13 loss to Wake Forest that transcend a coach's teachings.
"The intangibles of playing quarterback-I think Thaddeus has those," head coach Ted Roof said. "Of course, we're talking about one game now and a true freshman, so he's got a lot of improving to do and a lot of growing to do. But I think he's got the capability within himself to do that."
Lewis accounted for the majority of Duke's offensive output Saturday, passing for 305 of the team's 367 total yards. Because of his performance, the young quarterback has already begun to win the confidence of his teammates.
"He's got something about him," junior wideout Jomar Wright said. "You really can't explain it-it's just that 'it' factor you want to have in your quarterback, and he's definitely got it."
In his first two collegiate games, the signal caller, who is sporting a 138.13 quarterback efficiency rating, has not thrown an interception in 56 attempts.
"He has an ability to read the coverage, even being a freshman," Wright said. "In high school, they don't really throw too many different coverages at you. But coming into college, they know that you're a freshman, so they're going to throw the book at you, basically. That's what Wake Forest did, but he stepped up and hit the open guy, and we made plays for him."
Wright also said Lewis is keenly accurate and has a knack for placing the ball where only the receiver can catch it.
Although Lewis, a Florida native, has adjusted well to his new home in Durham and is turning into a key offensive threat for the Blue Devils, there still remains room for improvement.
"The thing that we've got to work on with him is... [that he is] not harnessing his confidence and his ability to see things and make plays," Roof said. "You don't want to take a kid like that and make him a robot. But at the same time you don't want a wild horse rider out there."
The biggest test of Lewis' blossoming career so far will come against No. 14 Virginia Tech this weekend in Blacksburg, Va. The Hokies intercepted North Carolina four times Saturday, so Lewis will have to be careful with his throws.
"Thaddeus is a great young quarterback that we have," Wright said. "He's just done an excellent job of taking the gameplan that the coaches have prepared for him and leading this team. This weekend he played great, and I don't expect anything less against Virginia Tech."
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