By David Ginsburg
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH ó South Floridaís national showcase turned into Ray Grahamís coming out party.
The Pittsburgh running back rushed for 226 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers dominated the 16th-ranked Bulls 44-17 on Thursday night.
Grahamís 13-yard touchdown gave Pitt (3-2, 1-0 Big East) the lead for good late in the first half and his 8-yard sprint up the middle early in the fourth quarter sealed it as the Panthers broke a five-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
Pitt kept USFís BJ Daniels under wraps all night. One of the nationís top duel-threat quarterbacks couldnít get it going with his arm or legs. Daniels ran for 43 yards óó almost all of it coming on a last-gasp drive ó and completed 18 of 36 passes for 223 mostly ineffective yards.
Tino Sunseri threw for 216 yards and a score for the Panthers, who avoided a second-half meltdown for a third straight week and instead poured it on against the sloppy, inconsistent Bulls (4-1, 0-1).
USF came in off to their fourth 4-0 start in its last five seasons. All that September promise, however, dissolved in the fall. None of the previous hot starts ended with a Big East title and a Bowl Championship Series berth.
The Bulls were hoping this is the year they finally break through. They survived against Notre Dame in the season opener, taking advantage of five turnovers to stun the Fighting Irish in South Bend.
Romps over Ball State, Florida A&M and UTEP followed.
The Bulls viewed their trip to Heinz Field as a chance to show the nation theyíre a legit threat to perennial conference power West Virginia.
On Thursday, it was Pitt that looked like the real thing.
The Panthers have flirted with respectability this season under new coach Todd Graham. They led Iowa by 17 points in the second half and Notre Dame by five in the fourth quarter only to falter both times.
Todd Graham put the onus on his players, saying the problem with the offense is ětheyíre just not running it.î He quickly backtracked, taking responsibility for the lack of impact plays.
His solution? Give the ball to his do-everything running back.
Ray Graham did it all, even returning kicks for the first time this season. If he wasnít making something out of nothing behind an injury-ravaged offensive line then he was making one-handed grabs on passing routes.
Even LeBron James was impressed. The NBA star called Graham a ěbeastî on his Twitter feed.
Graham had some help from an unlikely place. Sunseri, chastised by his coach for holding onto the ball too long during last weekís loss to Notre Dame, showed Daniels wasnít the only quarterback who could make plays with his legs. The junior ran for 47 yards in the first half, taking advantage when the Bulls keyed on his backfield mate.
The Panthers took a 20-17 lead into halftime and this time, there would be no meltdown.
Instead, Pitt did what Todd Graham has preached since taking over last January: it hit the gas.
The Panthers scored touchdowns on each of their first two possessions of the second half. Sunseri hit Hubie Graham for a 12-yard touchdown out of a funky formation that had offensive tackle Juantez Hollins lined up in the slot.
They took a more conventional path during a 66-yard drive capped by a 2-yard plunge by Zach Brown that put Pitt up 34-17.
This time, the big lead would stick.
USF could get nothing going, and Ray Graham finished the Bulls off with three big runs on Pittís last touchdown drive that ended with him high-stepping up the middle in the rain.