Head To Head Matchup: Quarterback

Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis is a 6'2" 190 pound sophomore from Opa-Locka, Florida. Coming out of high school, analysts said that Lewis was an outstanding athlete that did a good job of knowing when to run and when to stay in the pocket. Lewis could make plays on the move and had a killer instinct looking to make a play. Lewis received offers from USF, Texas A&M, and West Virginia before settling on Duke.

In 2006, Lewis played in all 12 games, starting the final 11 weeks of the season. He completed 180-of-340 (.529) pass attempts for 2,134 yards with 11 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

For the 2007 season, Lewis has thrown for 1,610 yards and 16 TDs. He has completed 56.7% of his passes and has thrown 8 interceptions. In Duke's last gane against Virginia Tech, Lewis threw for 119 yards, 1 TD, and had 1 pick. He also had a 1 yard run for a TD. He is described by the Duke sports department as having a strong throwing arm and good feel for the game.

And then we have Drew Weatherford for the Noles. Drew replaces Xavier Lee after Lee played in three complete games and most of the Alabama game this year.So what can be said about Drew? Great kid and team player comes to mind. An average QB and in lots of cases below average QB can also be said regarding Weatherford. Out of high school, Weatherford had offers from NC State, South Carolina, and Tennessee before choosing the Noles. The 6'3" junior has made 27 career starts, including the first four games this season. Prior to his benching against Alabama,

Weatherford was 2-1 as a starter in 2007 completing 54-of-98 (55.1%) for 662 yards, four TDs and one interception. Drew's historical record has not been one that gives a lot of Nole fans hope. In 2005,he had 18 TDs and 18 interceptions. In 2006, Weatherford had 12 TDs and 11 interceptions. Dating to the 2005 season, the Seminoles have a 17-10 record with Weatherford as the starter.

It could be that Duke coaches are smiling at the prospect of Weatherford being the starting QB. Stack the line, stop the running game, and let Drew see if he can lose the game through the air. We Nole fans can only hope Drew will be more composed than in the past and will have learned that throwing into double coverage is not a good thing. If not, the wearing of black to the game may take on significance that was not intended.