Pitt Football Tickets - No. 20 Pitt Defeats Bulls 41-14

Bill Stull threw for two touchdowns, Dion Lewis rushed for two TDs and No

. 20 Pitt scored on all five possessions in the first half to rout South Florida 41-14. Get Pitt football tickets and see Stull throw a TD pass. The Panthers (4-0 in Big East) improved to 7-1 for the first time since 1982. Stull completed his first 11 passes against the Bulls, who had a hard time stopping freshman running back Lewis.

The explosive running back came into the game ranked third nationally in rushing. Lewis took over the game and ran for 111 yards in three quarters to push his season's total to 1,029. Stull confidently proclaimed, "A defense cannot serve two masters." The quarterback explained that if you try to stop Pittsburgh's running game, they'll be able to make big plays through the air and vice versa.

Stull, whose senior season statistics to date exceed Dan Marino's, connected with Jonathan Baldwin for completions of 40, 34, and 35 yards while hitting other receivers who got behind South Florida defenders. The quarterback finished 18-of-25 for 245 yards and two scores and was not sacked. Baldwin made six catches for 144 yards. Stull played so poorly during his junior year that he was forced to compete for his job this season. He has 16 touchdown passes and just four picks. Marino threw for 17 touchdowns as a senior. The Panthers lead the Big East and are in position to win 10 games for the first time since 1981, when they went 11-1. Lewis has five 100-yard games and became the fourth Pitt freshman to gain 1,000 yards in a season, joining Tony Dorsett (1973), Curvin Richards (1988), and LeSean McCoy (2007).

The Bulls (5-2, 1-2) shot themselves in the foot with early penalties. They drew the game's first eight penalties and ended with 71 penalty yards, displaying their reputation as the Big East's most penalized team. South Florida coach Jim Leavitt acknowledged that the Panthers were the better team. He said, "They just whupped us. They whupped us. They're a better team than we are right now. ...We've got to play defense, and we didn't play defense." Pitt's offensive line effectively controlled the Bulls' pass rushers and gave Stull plenty of time to hook up with his receivers. Stull hit Dorin Dickerson for 20 and 22 yards on the Panthers' first possession, which set up a two-yard scoring pass to freshman tight end Mike Cruz.

It was Cruz's first college catch. Dickerson later added his ninth TD catch of the season. South Florida's George Selvie stated that he was shocked at how much Pittsburgh passed. He admitted that their defense did not have any pressure on Stull. The Panthers went up 14-0 when Stull connected with Baldwin for a 40-yard score. South Florida answered with Mike Ford's three-yard rushing TD, but Pitt marched downfield on six plays to make it 21-7 on Lewis' one-yard run. The victory assured the Panthers of a second consecutive bowl appearance, the first time they have done that since 2003-04.

by: Brent Warnken

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