Should Sean Renfree's Performance Threaten Thad Lewis' Job?

It was not a game to write home about for Thad Lewis on Saturday.

Despite the Blue Devils' win at Army, Lewis finished the game 5-of-16 passing for only 60 yards. While he did throw one touchdown pass late in the first half, he never found a rhythm and finished the game on the Duke bench.

Instead, redshirt freshman Sean Renfree stepped in and looked relatively impressive tossing two scores on 7-of-8 passes for 106 yards after coming in late in the third quarter.

Renfree finished the game and looked poised and confident leading Duke on one drive of 78 yards that culminated in his second touchdown pass.

After the game, Coach David Cutcliffe said that playing Renfree was part of the game plan. Probably what he may not have counted on was how effective Renfree would be.

I can already hear the words "quarterback controversy' in the air in Durham.

And those looking for a change at the most important spot on the team are only partly right.

I fully expect that come next Saturday when Duke (1-1) travels to Lawrence for their matchup with Kansas (2-0) that Lewis will still be the starter.

Cutcliffe has put entirely too much time and effort in Lewis and frankly, he has earned a bad game. Since his freshman year, Lewis has been one of the few bright spots for the Blue Devils.

Those so eager to give him the hook need to cool their jets and give the kid a break.

They are justified in wanting to see Renfree play more as the kid certainly proved Saturday he deserves some playing time.

Yet, to throw your starter under the bus after one poor game is rather classless and not something a building program like Duke should make a habit of doing.

Cutcliffe is a quarterback guru, so I'm quite certain he knows how to handle playing two talented quarterbacks in a way that avoids a quarterback controversy.

He didn't quit on Lewis for Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus and I'm certain he won't quit on him now.

However, if Lewis continues to struggle don't be surprised to see more of Renfree even if he doesn't start.