ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

From the moment Dion Lewis enrolled early in January, Pittsburgh's coaches have been impressed with the true freshman running back.

	Kevin Hoffman/US Presswire
	Dion Lewis is on pace for more than 1,570 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.

Lewis performed well in practice during the spring and in training camp, leading the Panthers to believe that he could make up for some of what they lost when star tailback LeSean McCoy bolted for the NFL after his sophomore season.

But Lewis has even done the unthinkable: he's been better than McCoy so far.

Check out this comparison between Lewis this season and McCoy through the first seven games of 2008:

McCoy: 161 carries for 835 yards, 5.2 yards per carry, 14 touchdowns.

Lewis: 162 carries for 918 yards, 5.7 yards per carry, nine touchdowns.

McCoy scored more touchdowns, but Pitt has more options in the red zone this season in the passing game.

"We did expect him to be a productive player," Pitt running backs coach David Walker said of Lewis. "But to be honest, I'd be lying if I said I thought he'd be this good or productive right off the bat."

Not bad for a guy who's only other major scholarship offers were from Tulane and Miami of Ohio. But Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt was sold quickly on the 5-foot-8, 195-pounder after seeing his high school tapes.

"I think I watched four plays and then turned the projector off, and we offered him a scholarship," Wannstedt said.

His recruitment, of course, wasn't that simple. But the Panthers needed a running back with McCoy leaving and LaRod Stephens-Howling graduating. Lewis averaged 14.1 yards per carry at Blair Academy in New Jersey.

"We look for guys who show a certain skill set, and it didn't take long to see [with Lewis]," Walker said. "We look for quickness and body control, change of direction, toughness and the ability to make people miss. He kept showing that over and over again."

Unlike a lot of young backs, Lewis doesn't try to improvise too much. He hits the hole and runs north and south as much as possible. What may be most impressive about him is how he's able to shed tacklers and break free after the first contact despite his short stature. Which shouldn't be confused with small.

"Pound for pound, he's probably one of the strongest players on our team," Wannstedt said. "His bench press is up in the 300s. And that's just his upper body. He's legs are very strong, too. He has speed, yes, but to break tackles, in his particular case, it's because he has great strength in his hips and legs."

Lewis will be a big key for the No. 20 Panthers (6-1, 3-0 Big East) on Saturday against South Florida (5-1, 1-1). Pitt will need to run the ball to slow down the Bulls pass rush and, as always, make the play-action passing game work for Bill Stull.

Lewis is on pace for more than 1,570 yards and 15 touchdowns. At that rate, he will break Tony Dorsett's school record for most rushing yards by a freshman (1,686). Heck, no Pitt sophomore has ever run for 1,500 yards. By now, though, it's clear that all previous expectations need to be raised when it comes to Dion Lewis.

"He no longer surprises us," offensive guard John Malecki said. "He goes out there and does unbelievable things every week."