Even in victory, Duke knows it cannot rest on its laurels-it has to go up against the best rushing attack in the nation this weekend.
Rather than fight fire with fire, the Blue Devils (1-2, 0-1 in ACC) will likely rely on sophomore quarterback Thaddeus Lewis as they face off against Navy (1-2) 1 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. The Blue Devils aim for consecutive wins for the first time since 2003, when they defeated Western Carolina and Rice.
"Thad is just the man," junior offensive tackle Cameron Goldberg. "There's nothing else to say about that. He works as hard, if not harder, as any guy on the team."
In Duke's two losses, Lewis has completed less than 50 percent of his passes and thrown twice as many interceptions (4) as touchdowns (2). Against Northwestern, however, Lewis completed 19-of-23 passes for 246 yards, throwing three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
The Blue Devil offensive line, normally a weak point, did not give up a sack Saturday after allowing nine sacks in their first two games.
"It started with protection," head coach Ted Roof said. "He wasn't sacked all day and I give some credit to our offensive line, our tight ends, and our backs. When he did feel some pressure, he was able to escape the first guy and elude him, then not focus on the rush but keep his eyes downfield."
In Navy's two losses this year, its opponents have put up big plays in the passing game. Against Rutgers, quarterback Mike Teel only had 14 completions but threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Ball State's Nate Davis also gave the Midshipmen problems, throwing for 277 yards and three touchdowns off of 19 completions.
Last year against Navy, Lewis did not throw any interceptions and completed 15-of-22 passes for one touchdown. Yet, he only threw for 181 yards, with 54 of those yards coming in the first five minutes of the game.
This week, Lewis will have to come out firing on all cylinders, particularly after the loss of fullback Tielor Robinson to a season-ending ankle injury. The Blue Devils have averaged a mere 1.7 yards per carry and have no rushing touchdowns, and the best effort by a running back so far was Justin Boyle's 31 yards off six rushes against UConn.
The Midshipmen, though, have their own share of injury woes. Senior defensive captain Jeff Deliz and junior linebacker Clint Sovie are lost for the year, which may make Lewis' job a bit easier.
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