This year the Blue Zone will be running a series looking back on important moments in the Duke football team’s history. Today, we take you back to Oct. 10, 2009.
Following a 38-31 victory over Troy in the annual homecoming game, Duke gets a chance to catch its breath with a Week 6 bye before squaring off against Navy on Saturday, October 12. This week, we take a look at an exciting Blue Devil victory from Week 6 in 2009, when Duke traveled to Raleigh to face the N.C. State Wolfpack.
N.C. State, featuring current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, came in to the game with a record of 3-2, while the Blue Devils entered with a 2-3 mark. Duke, winless in its last 11 contests against the Wolfpack and its last 20 ACC road games, was certainly looking for a statement win.
And that’s exactly what they produced—a convincing 49-28 win in which they never trailed during the course of the game.
Duke senior quarterback Thad Lewis was the star of the game, throwing for 459 yards and accounting for six touchdowns, both career highs. He spread the ball around, throwing five touchdowns to five different receivers while leading his team to victory.
Lewis and the Blue Devils sprinted out of the starting gate, scoring touchdowns on each of their first three offensive possessions. However, the Wolfpack offense was firing on all cylinders as well, matching Duke score for score.
The game was tied 21-21 at halftime, with Wilson throwing one touchdown pass and running for another to keep the Wolfpack even.
The turning point of the game came early in the fourth quarter with the Blue Devils leading by a score of 35-28. N.C. State was set to receive a punt, but the ball bounced off special-teamer Justin Byers and was recovered by Duke at N.C. State’s 11-yard line.
Presented with a golden opportunity, Lewis capitalized and tossed a five-yard touchdown to freshman wide receiver Conner Vernon, putting the Blue Devils ahead by 14 points with only 11 minutes left to play.
N.C. State botched another punt with just more than three minutes remaining that Duke recovered in the end zone for a touchdown, accounting for the final score of 49-28.
Lewis' big day under center rewrote the Duke record books. The five touchdown passes gave Lewis 59 for his career—a new school record. It also moved him into a tie for sixth all-time in the ACC with former Wolfpack quarterback Jamie Barnette. Lewis' 40 completions were also a school record, breaking the mark of 38 completions set by Ben Bennett in 1980. The 459 yards gave Lewis the third most passing yards in Duke history and 12th most in ACC history. Finally, Lewis' six touchdowns tied a school record set by Tom Powers in 1950 and matched by Steve Slayden in 1987.
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