BY JOHN MCCANN

jmccann@heraldsun.com; 419-6601

DURHAM -- This is Duke University football coach David Cutcliffe's second season here.

And many observers would tell you his squad absolutely gets it as far as understanding what he wants in a football team.

But does Durham get it?

That is, generally speaking, do the people of Durham dig Duke football?

"The support from the community has gotten stronger each year," Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis said.

That's a nice answer. But it's sort of like White House spokesman Robert Gibbs speaking for President Obama.

So here's Bobby Lougee, who's been around Durham forever:

"I grew up a Duke fan. I knew all the ... ballplayers," Lougee said. "It killed me when we lost that Rose Bowl game."

Lougee was referring to the 1942 Rose Bowl -- played in Durham because of fears of a Japanese attack on the West Coast -- when Duke lost to Oregon State, 20-16.

The man actually went to UNC. Lougee said his grades weren't good enough to get him into Duke -- not that his grades were good enough for UNC, either, he said.

Lougee, 87, is a Tar Heel guy. But he has love for the Blue Devils. Duke's ball coach has something to do with that, he said. And Lougee's not talking about the one who holds court in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"Cutcliffe has put a new firecracker under the people," Lougee said.

Lougee is a member of the Durham Sports Club. Cutcliffe, a real folksy, likeable guy, has spoken to the group, Lougee said.

Cutcliffe, in fact, has made the rounds at a number of places in Durham. Back in August he was downtown at Tyler's Restaurant & Taproom and told those who dropped in during a special tour stop, "I love Durham. I'm proud to live in Durham. ... I want the people to know that Duke is accessible and that we're interested in Durham. I think people are finding that out."

Cutcliffe's had his team at Durham Bulls games. They've loved on the people at the Durham Rescue Mission, and the coach makes his guys pick up trash around Duke's campus.

And what a shame that Duke football doesn't get emphasized around here, Lougee said. Every high-school football player should be itching to put on the pads for Duke, because it's an opportunity to leave college in tremendous physical shape with an out-of-sight degree to boot, he explained.

"We're recruiting really good football players and good people," Cutcliffe said. Of course, the university wants kids who can do quality academic work, the coach said. But "if they can't play, we're not interested in whether they're smart enough."

Local love

Duke University Athletics Director of Marketing Bart Smith said there was a 60 percent increase in the number of season-ticket holders for Duke football in 2008 compared to years prior. This year is right on track with that, he said.

But not all of those season-ticket holders live in Durham.

And even though the game this evening against potential rival N.C. Central University is homecoming, Wallace Wade Stadium as of Friday morning was not sold out.

Still, "we feel like we have a lot of excitement right now," Smith said.

Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau President and CEO Reyn Bowman backs up Smith on the excitement piece. The way the Duke football team is embraced when Cutcliffe takes them into the community is a sign of that, Bowman said.

Bob Bickel, 81, was a Blue Devil blocking back on Duke coach Wallace Wade's football squads. In 1951, Bickel was the team's most valuable player and was named to the All-Southern Conference first team.

Does Durham dig Duke football?

"Definitely," said Bickel, who still lives in Durham. "We had 30,000 people there the first home game, which is very unusual."

OK, but why does Durham dig Duke football?

Bickel: "Cutcliffe."