Aug 18, 2002 By Jim Wexell For The 4 min read

LATROBE – Whatever hasn’t killed Tim Lewis has evidently made him stronger. That’s why the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive coordinator can laugh when someone talks about running up scores. Steve Spurrier, the first-year coach of the Washington Redskins, will attempt to throw the ball against Lewis’ defense Sunday night, and if Lewis’ troops can’t stop him, Spurrier will continue the attack late into the game.

It was Spurrier’s style throughout his tenure at the University of Florida, and he did it against the San Francisco 49ers in his first NFL preseason game, drawing the ire of 49ers coach Steve Mariucci.

Spurrier will draw no such ire Sunday from the Steelers’ defensive boss. Lewis just laughs at the thought.

“I was a part of a score that no one will top,” he said. “I coached at SMU when the University of Houston scored 95 points on us. What more can anyone do to me?”

It was the first year back from a two-year “death penalty” for SMU, and Lewis, who had just become involved in the coaching racket, was the cornerbacks coach for the school in 1989.

Jack Pardee’s Houston team used the run-and-shoot offense with Andre Ware at quarterback, and the Cougars had a propensity for embarrassing their opponents. But even Pardee pulled his starters after scoring 59 first-half points against SMU that day. Ware passed for 517 yards in the first half alone as Houston finished with 1,021 yards of offense in the 95-21 win.

“While we were in the game, I just remember thinking, ‘Geez, we just want to stop them.’ I never even thought about the score being close to 100 points,” Lewis said. “After I watched the tape, I went, ‘Oh my God.’ I thought it was our ineptitude stopping us.

“We didn’t have very good players, and we never really looked at it like they were trying to do it. Some of them were just runs. We just couldn’t stop anything.”

It’s unlikely the Steelers’ defensive reputation will be put into such peril Sunday night. They were the NFL’s No. 1 defense last season and have 10 of 11 starters back. But if the Redskins get a chance to tack on a meaningless touchdown, they’ll do it. So how would Lewis react?

“Well, I think everything regarding football is a respect thing. The game is a respectful game, it’s an honorable game and it goes back many years,” he said. “But the bottom line is we get paid to stop people. That’s what I’m here for. I’m not here to whine and complain. I can see another person’s point if they felt they were disrespected, but it’s not my MO. Just coach the guys to get better and try to win the game.”

Lewis’ boss with the Steelers, coach Bill Cowher, said he was “impressed” by Spurrier’s offense, even “intrigued by it a little bit.” Lewis explained some of the concepts Spurrier uses.

“A lot of people do some of the things he does,” Lewis said. “He spreads the field. The Rams do a lot of the same concepts, concepts (former Steelers offensive coordinator) Kevin Gilbride used with the high-lows and the ins and outs. They do a nice job with three- and four-wide receiver packages.”

In two preaseaon games, the Redskins have scored 75 points and passed for 798 yards in wins over the 49ers and Carolina Panthers.

Quarterback Danny Wuerffel is the Redskins’ starting quarterback. The former Heisman Trophy winner and national championship quarterback under Spurrier at Florida has revived his once-dead NFL career. In three quarters, Wuerffel has completed 24 of 36 passes for 371 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s expected to play only the first quarter Sunday night for the Redskins.

“I think he’s comfortable with the package. He has some of those Florida receivers there and they’re all on the same page, you can tell that,” Lewis said.

“It’s a good offense. It’s a very extensive and difficult passing game. They run the same runs that everybody runs, but the passing game is a complicated one, one you have to take some time to look at.”

But even if Lewis is looking at it very late in the game, he won’t become upset.

“I’ve been there,” Lewis said.

And he lived to tell about it.