For the first time in several years, a men's lacrosse game wasn't the main athletic attraction on campus in late April.
In a testament to the resurgence brought by head coach David Cutcliffe, 4,162 fans turned out for Duke's annual spring game. They saw a program that Cutcliffe said is on the way to being the kind of program the school deserves, as the White team, led by Sean Renfree, beat the Blue team, led by returning starter Thaddeus Lewis, 24-17.
"I told the players before the game that we are a good football team," Cutcliffe said. "I thought they played like one today. We had really good execution for the most part throughout the game."
The Blue Devil offense showed it has come a long way from its inconsistent play last season. Lewis was 17-for-23 for 257 yards for the Blue team, frequently hitting Donovan Varner after Johnny Williams left the game with an injury.
Varner hauled in six passes for 116 yards. His most impressive catch came at the beginning of the fourth quarter, when he caught a Lewis pass in the flat and burned the White team defense for 46 yards. The catch showed that the receiving corps still has the ability to make big plays, even with the departure of senior Eron Riley.
"We have those shifty guys like Varner that can catch the ball, and after the catch do what they do well, letting people miss them," Lewis said. "He's made strides all spring and came out here and showed today how good of a player he really is."
White team quarterback Renfree also shined in his first action in front of Duke fans. The redshirt freshman threw for 210 yards, including two 17-yard touchdown passes-one of which found Danny Parker in the back corner of the end zone, where he hauled in the pass despite double coverage.
"The passing game was something else," Cutcliffe said. "We are stretching the field better.... I thought the quarterbacks both had a good day."
But if there was anything that might have Cutcliffe nervous for the year, it was the Duke running game, or lack thereof.
Re'quan Boyette's return after missing last season was underwhelming. The redshirt senior went for only 19 yards on seven carries and didn't play most of the second half. Patrick Kurunwune led all rushers with 66 yards, but he did it against the second-team defense.
Despite the futility on the ground, both quarterbacks were impressed with the pass protection from the young, retooled offensive line, which lost a majority of its starters from last season. The Blue and White teams' lines conceded a combined three sacks.
"I think they kind of exceeded expectations today," Lewis said. "They don't get much credit, but that's a good unit up front. I believe in and trust in those guys, and we're going to go to bat together this year."
While the teams' two quarterbacks commanded much of the attention during the game, an ex-quarterback also got to show off his skills. A noticeably bigger Zack Asack made his first appearance at safety for the Blue team and chipped in four tackles.
"He's a team player," Lewis said. "He could have said no, or been insulted about [the switch], but he went over there and learned the defense.... You see him come out and make a tackle. He's making great strides.
"You just make sure he's not looking at the signals and getting them.... It's kind of awkward to see No. 13 on the other side of the ball."
During the team's unofficial opener, that might have been the only thing that had Lewis disconcerted.
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