11/17/2009 - Michael Tomko, GoDuke.com

DURHAM, N.C. - When head coach David Cutcliffe reviewed the game tapes from Duke's 2007 season, he saw a quarterback getting dropped and hit behind the line of scrimmage way too often.

But he also saw that same quarterback keep his eyes down the field never flinching or wavering despite all the pressure opposing defenses put on him.

He knew right away that he had a competitor in Thaddeus Lewis.

Lewis, now a senior, has grown as a football player, a competitor and a man everyday he has been under the tutelage of Cutcliffe, and with two games remaining in his senior season, the Opa-Locka, Fla., native has a chance to set the career passing record at Duke, as well as carry his team to a bowl berth for the first time since 1994.

Lewis was thrown under center since his freshman year at Duke, fighting for every yard and learning to play college football from the field instead of the sidelines like most first year quarterbacks. The stand on the sidelines and watch for a year method didn't apply to Lewis.

"He is just so tough," Cutcliffe said. "Anytime somebody points that out and says - oh well he doesn't really deserve the home run record he's played 25 years - well wait a minute, what is a greater feat, playing 25 years, or... he is just tough, really, really tough. He has missed very little time as a quarterback, though he has missed some. He is a fierce competitor and he is a guy that is so willing to learn and listen and grow - he has grown his whole career."

When Duke kicks off this Saturday at noon (ESPNU) from Miami, Lewis will be just 239 yards behind Ben Bennett's school record of 9,614 passing yards at Duke.

The fourth-year starter already holds a number of records at Duke. He is the leader in all-time passing touchdowns (63), passing attempts (1,425), pass completions (829), total offense (9,300 yards) and offensive plays from scrimmage (1,772).

He has proven year-to-year to be a consistent, productive and durable college quarterback.

"The reason he is a record setter is because he is a winner," Cutcliffe said. "He really is. He has had to fight and scratch for everything that he has had here."

"He and I had dinner at the training table yesterday to talk," Cutcliffe said. "We talked about how it felt like just yesterday to him that he was a freshman and was just kind of thrown to the wolves sort to speak."

His time at Duke is coming to its finale. Two games remain and none any bigger than this week against the No. 21 ranked Hurricanes, a team Lewis would love to end his career with a win against, a team that he grew up watching as a young boy and a team full of players that he knows and grew up with.

Lewis practiced today, something he didn't do much of leading up to the Georgia Tech game. Cutcliffe has said that Thursday's injury list will be longer than it has been all season.

They may be undermanned heading down to Miami, but that surely doesn't matter to Lewis, who has heard Duke called an underdog almost every week since he has been at Duke. He won't let that be an excuse on Saturday.

It just isn't his style. His mentality is to go out there and fight, scrap and claw for every yard that is out on that football field.

It is the competitor in him that is always on display.