Football: Panthers down Bulls with 54-27 win at Buffalo

It wasn’t always easy, but at times the Panthers looked pretty in their win against… It wasn’t always easy, but at times the Panthers looked pretty in their win against Buffalo.

With an 85-yard dash, Pitt running back Dion Lewis took any hope the Bulls had of making a comeback away with his second touchdown of the game. The true freshman isn’t having any trouble filling the role left by former Pitt star LeSean McCoy. Lewis finished the day with 190 yards on 24 carries. He also had six receptions and 46 yards — second most on the Panthers this afternoon.

Both teams jumped out to fast starts as the Panthers led 34-20 at halftime.

Quarterback Bill Stull looked nearly perfect at times as he teamed up with tight end Dorin Dickerson early and often in the game. Stull went 21 of 30 for 198 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran in from three yards out to give the Panthers a 34-14 lead late in the second quarter. Dickerson was Stull’s target for much of the game as he finished with 71 yards on eight receptions. His three touchdowns in the game were the most since Greg Lee did it in 2004 in a game against South Florida.

The defense, despite giving up 27 points, also looked good as they caused three turnovers. They held the Bulls when they needed to most. Redshirt junior Elijah Fields replaced sophomore Andrew Taglianetti at safety late in the second quarter. Taglianetti was visibly in pain as he left the game. He is said to have a sprained left knee and is scheduled to get an MRI tomorrow.

Sixth-year senior linebacker Adam Gunn also had a good game. He finished with 11 tackles, including 3 sacks.

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