Football: No problems for Lewis, who continues to shine

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — It’s official. The secret is out on Pitt running back Dion Lewis. The true freshman isn’t sneaking up on any more teams this season or, in all likelihood, for the rest of his college career.

Lewis, a product of Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., and former New Jersey Prep offensive player of the year, used the Garden State as the location of his national coming-out party.

During the Panthers’ 24-17 victory over Rutgers Friday night, Lewis carried the ball 31 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Of those 31 touches, none was more significant than Lewis’ 58-yard touchdown sprint that gave the Panthers a 14-point lead in the third quarter.

Pitt (6-1 overall, 3-0 Big East) remained perfect in conference play. But Rutgers (4-2, 0-2) must regroup and attempt to salvage its season.

The victory also propelled Pitt to its first top 25 ranking of the year. The Panthers are 20th in the AP Poll and 19th in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

After the game, head coach Dave Wannstedt praised Lewis’ ability.

“You know how I am about talking about our players and our football team. I’m always going to be very conservative in what I say,” Wannstedt said. “But [Lewis] is special. I mean, he is something.”

Lewis is currently the most prolific freshman rusher in the country, with 918 rushing yards on the year, and his 131-yards-per-game average is ranked third in the nation among all running backs.

In seven games, Lewis has scored 60 points, which puts him on pace to break LeSean McCoy’s freshman scoring record of 90 points. He would also surpass Larry Fitzgerald (72) and Tony Dorsett (78) on his way to catching McCoy.

The most surprising aspect of Lewis’ story is the relatively light recruitment he underwent during preparatory school. Besides Pitt, Lewis held scholarship offers from only Miami (Ohio) and Tulane.

Despite the lack of fanfare around Lewis, Wannstedt didn’t need much convincing to extend a scholarship offer to Lewis after his junior season.

“I think his highlight tape was five plays, and they were all, like, 80-yard runs. Seriously, I think I watched five plays and told [defensive backs coach] Jeff Hafley, ‘Offer him,’” Wannstedt said.

After Lewis’ productive senior season at Blair Academy, other teams approached him to test his commitment to Pitt.

But Lewis wasn’t receptive to the late-comers.

“I think we got on [Lewis] early, and then when he went to Blair and had the big year his senior year. He is such a solid individual that he stayed with his commitment,” Wannstedt said.

By securing an early commitment from Lewis, Pitt was able to take a big-time playmaker out of Rutgers’ own backyard.

On Friday night, the New Jersey media asked why Rutgers coach Greg Schiano didn’t offer a scholarship to the running back who had just torched his team.

“He’s a very good player,” Schiano said. “You make choices in recruiting, and then some choices are made by [the recruits]. But you make choices of who you’re going to go hard after … there [are] enough good [players] for everybody to get some.”

The Panthers appear to have a good one in Lewis, and he doesn’t seem to be worried about the under-the-radar status he received during his recruitment.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Lewis said. “I’m happy in the place I am now.”

Despite his youth, Lewis is becoming a leader and a person on whom the upperclassmen on the team can depend.

“Everyone on the team trusts me, everyone expects me to [make] big plays. So that’s what I do. I’m just doing what everybody expects me to do,” Lewis said. “They really don’t look at me as a freshman [anymore]. They look at me just like one of the older guys, just trying to lead the team and help get a win.”

As Pitt gets deeper into the Big East schedule and opposing teams begin to plan for Lewis, the scrutiny is going to intensify on the true freshman. But if one thing was learned last Friday on national television, it’s that Lewis isn’t afraid of the attention — even if it is belated.