11/18/09 - (WR) - Jonathan Baldwin, So, 6-5, 225 Jonathan Baldwin was difficult to miss for anyone watching No. 8 Pitt’s 27-22 win over Notre Dame, making five catches—two that were exceptional—for 142 yards and a touchdown. That wasn’t always the case during Baldwin’s freshman season last year, when he was a deep receiving threat and little else. “Jonathan is becoming—hasn’t become, but is becoming—a more complete player,” coach Dave Wannstedt said. “Whether he’s getting the ball or he’s not getting the ball or it’s a run or it’s a pass, he’s doing all of those things much better.” Last season, Wannstedt said, “Really was a situation where we would basically throw him the ball deep on one or two routes. He’s learning the game, and I think he’s really matured as a person. I can’t wait to see him a year or two from now.” The 6-foot-5 Baldwin and 6-2 Dorin Dickerson form one of college football’s best receiving tandems. Dickerson has 43 catches for 496 yards and 10 touchdowns, the most of any major college tight end. Baldwin has 40 catches for 840 yards, a 21 yards per catch average, and five touchdowns. He was named Big East offensive player of the week for his performance against the Irish. Baldwin played at Aliquippa High, the same Pittsburgh-area school that sent tight end Mike Ditka and cornerback Darrelle Revis to Pitt. Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett played at Hopewell High, which is also in Aliquippa. Dickerson starred at nearby West Allegheny High. - AP Sports
11/16/09 - (WR) - Jonathan Baldwin, So, 6-5, 225 BIG EAST WEEK 11 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Pittsburgh wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week after he averaged 28.4 yards per reception, finishing with 142 yards and a touchdown on five catches to key Pittsburgh’s sixth straight win — a 27-22 decision against Notre Dame. Baldwin came up with a diving, 36-yard reception in the end zone in the second quarter to give the Panthers a lead they would not relinquish and he set up another score with an acrobatic 51-yard catch on the Panthers’ first play of the third quarter. - BIG EAST football
11/15/09 - (WR) - Jonathan Baldwin, So, 6-5, 225 In need of a big win, Charlie Weis and Notre Dame couldn’t turn around a troublesome trend. Pitt keeps winning and winning like it hasn’t done in 27 years, and now the Panthers are one more victory away from a really big bowl. Jonathan Baldwin made two exceptional catches that allowed No. 8 Pittsburgh to open up an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame rallied behind two touchdowns by Golden Tate, but the Panthers held on for a 27-22 victory Saturday night. The cries for Weis’ ouster among Irish supporters will surely grow louder after Notre Dame’s second straight loss. Notre Dame (6-4) trailed 27-9 with 12:44 remaining after Dion Lewis’ 50-yard touchdown run, then had a chance to take the lead on its final possession before Jimmy Clausen fumbled with just over two minutes remaining. “We got a little scare, but we always have confidence in our defense to make a big stop and they did,” Lewis said. - AP Sports
11/09/09 - (FB) - Dorin Dickerson, Sr, 6-2, 230 BIG EAST WEEK 10 HONOR ROLL: Dorin Dickerson, TE, Pittsburgh — Had seven receptions for a career-high 118 yards and a touchdown in a 37-10 win against Syracuse. - BIG EAST football
11/07/09 - (QB) - Bill Stull, rSr, 6-3, 215 Greg Williams’ 51-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the first half got slow-starting Pittsburgh going, and the No. 14 Panthers extended their best start to a season since 1982 by beating Syracuse 37-10 on Saturday. Dion Lewis ran for 110 yards and a touchdown for the freshman’s sixth 100-yard game, tight end Dorin Dickerson caught his 10th touchdown pass this season and the Panthers (8-1, 5-0 in Big East) won their fifth in a row heading into next Saturday’s game against No. 19 Notre Dame. Bill Stull was 16 of 23 for 225 yards and no interceptions as the Panthers, who last were 8-1 during Dan Marino’s senior season 27 years ago, set themselves up for a possible Big East title-deciding game against No. 4 Cincinnati on Dec. 5. - AP Sports
11/05/09 - (FB) - Dorin Dickerson, Sr, 6-2, 230 Dorin Dickerson might play tight end, but if you were to look up the definition of a complete overall football player, he would be it. Dickerson, now a senior at Pitt, was recruited from nearby West Allegheny High School to play receiver. As one of the most electric high school players in recent history from western Pennsylvania, he rushed for 1,428 yards, had 423 receiving yards and scored 36 touchdowns in his senior season. But after seeing minimal time at receiver his freshman year at Pitt, he was moved to linebacker, where he recorded 15 tackles in 2007, playing in all 12 of the team’s games. Despite his sophomore success, he was again moved to a new position — tight end — before the beginning of last season. The switch to defense might have frustrated some players, but Dickerson said it made him a better player. It forced him to bulk up and be more physical. Now he is one of the best blocking and receiving dual-threat tight ends in the world of college football — and he loves the position. “You get to hit somebody. It’s not like you’re playing receiver, where you barely get hit,” Dickerson said. “When you’re a tight end, you’re in the mix every single second.” Dickerson’s high school coach Bob Palko, father of former Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko, said he believes playing linebacker helped Dickerson understand how to attack on offense. “Learning how to read linebackers’ drops and understanding how to read coverages a little bit more helped him,” Palko said. - Alex Oltmanns, The Pitt News
11/04/09 - (TE) - Nate Byham, Sr, 6-4, 265 Going into the season, No. 14 Pittsburgh was supposed to have one of the NFL’s best tight end prospects. The Panthers still do, only it’s not the player they expected. Dorin Dickerson, a highly recruited high school player who couldn’t seem to settle into a position at Pitt, has emerged as the nation’s most productive tight end with 32 receptions, nine for touchdowns. He tried wide receiver and linebacker before becoming a tight end. Nate Byham was the first-team all-Big East tight end last season - one scouting service listed him as the top player at his position in college football - but has settled into a role as a blocker and situational player. He has only six catches for 76 yards. Byham has remained a team player despite the drop-off in his production - he had 20 catches last season - and praises offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. for a balanced offense. “I’m very excited about what the team has accomplished overall, but especially on offense,” Byham said. “Our running game is among the best in the country and our passing game is really clicking now, too. And I’ve played an integral part of that success.” - AP Sports
11/03/09 - (TE) - Nate Byham, Sr, 6-4, 265 Nate Byham has just six catches for 76 yards and no touchdowns in eight games this fall, while fellow tight end and classmate Dorin Dickerson has 32 receptions for 332 yards and an NCAA-best nine receiving touchdowns. But since that hasn't been Byham's only contribution for the University of Pittsburgh (7-1, 4-0) on offense, he had nothing but praises for the Panthers this season. "It started out, coming into the season, I thought I'd get a few more balls thrown my way during my senior year,'' Byham said. "But once it started to progress, I learned my role in this offense. "The offense is different than it was in the past, so my role is different. But I'm very content with it. I feel like I'm doing a great job just doing what they ask me to do in this offense, and that's really all I can do.'' Byham played in 11 games with one start as a freshman in 2006 and caught just two passes for 34 yards, but one went for a touchdown. A scholastic basketball all-star at Franklin, Pa. High School, Byham gained size but maintained his athleticism after a year in the program. His blocking and catches improved considerably to 15 catches for 210 yards and one score as a sophomore. Byham also had a touchdown catch among his 20 grabs for 260 yards last fall, but he'll be hard-pressed to reach those numbers this season, as Dickerson and sophomore sensation Jonathan Baldwin are the top pass-catchers for Pitt. "I'm very excited about what the team has accomplished overall, of course, but especially on offense this season,'' Byham said. "Our running game is among the best in the country, and our passing game is really clicking now, too. And I've played an integral part of that success.'' - Dale Grdnic, Panther Digest
11/03/09 - (FB) - Dorin Dickerson, Sr, 6-2, 230 11/03/09 NFL DRAFT SCOUT RISER: Dorin Dickerson, FB, Pittsburgh: Entering the season, 2008 first-team All-Big East TE Nate Byham was expected to be QB Bill Stull's security blanket. Dickerson has taken that title, however, catching 32 passes for 332 yards and nine scores (Byham has 6-76-0). Two weeks ago, he went 5-58-1 in the big win vs. South Florida. The former receiver has grown into his 6-2, 230-pound frame. He's listed as a fullback but is really more of a positional blocker (but an effective one) than a pounder. His receiving skills will give him a chance to play either as a fullback or motion tight end, depending on the system his new team runs. - Chad Reuter, The SportsXchange, NFLDraftScout.com
10/26/09 - (WR) - Jonathan Baldwin, So, 6-5, 225 BIG EAST WEEK 8 HONOR ROLL: Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh — Had six receptions for a career-high 144 yards and a touchdown in a 41-14 win against USF. - BIG EAST football
10/26/09 - (SS) - Dom DeCicco, Jr, 6-3, 230 BIG EAST WEEK 8 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Pittsburgh strong safety Dom DeCicco was tabbed as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week after he had a team-high 10 tackles, including nine solo stops, to key a Pittsburgh defense that limited USF to 212 yards of total offense in a 41-14 Panther win. USF entered the game averaging 379.4 yards and 30.9 points per game. - BIG EAST football
10/26/09 - (QB) - Bill Stull, rSr, 6-3, 215 GAME BALL GOES TO: QB Bill Stull put on a spectacular display as Pitt built a 24-point lead in the first half vs. South Florida. He completed his first 11 passes and finished the day with 18 completions in 25 attempts for 245 yards and two touchdowns. The only mar on his record was one interception, just the fifth he's thrown all season.
10/26/09 - (RB) - Dion Lewis, Fr, 5-08, 195 Freshman RB Dion Lewis continues to amaze. He carried 23 times for 111 yards and two TDs vs. South Florida and became the fourth freshman running back in Pitt history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He know has 1,029 rushing yards and 72 points, which ties him with Pitt wide receiving great Larry Fitzgerald for the third highest point total by a freshman. Pitt is off to a 7-1 start for the first time since 1982.
10/26/09 - (OT) - Jason Pinkston, rJr, 6-4, 305 LOOKING GOOD: Pitt's offensive line obviously has been good all season when you consider what it has done to turn freshman RB Dion Lewis loose for more than 1,000 yards so quickly, however, its pass blocking needs some recognition, too. USF as a pair of pass rushers who figure to go in the first round of future NFL drafts in George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul, yet neither had a sack and they combined for only four tackles. It was tackles Lucas Nix and Joason Pinkston who were dominating, with help from TE Nate Byham and FB Henry Hynoski. "They deserve all the credit," said QB Bill Stull. "That's the key - our protection."
10/24/09 - (QB) - Bill Stull, rSr, 6-3, 215 Bill Stull threw for two touchdowns, Dion Lewis ran for two and No. 20 Pitt scored on all five possessions in the first half to rout South Florida 41-14 on Saturday and extend its best start to a season in 27 years. The Panthers (4-0 in Big East) are 7-1 for the first time since 1982—Dan Marino’s senior season and the last time Pitt was ranked No. 1. They made this one look easy as Stull completed his first 11 passes against a Bulls defense that appeared geared to stopping Lewis at the start, before he took over and run for 111 yards in three quarters to push his season’s total to 1,029 yards. South Florida (5-2, 1-2) repeatedly hurt itself early with penalties—the Big East’s most-penalized team drew the game’s first eight penalties and ended with 71 penalty yards. - AP Sports
10/21/09 - (RB) - Dion Lewis, Fr, 5-08, 195 Shades of LeSean McCoy. For the second time in three seasons, Pitt is being led by a freshman running back who was overlooked by nearly every school in the country but has quickly become one of the nation’s leading rushers. Dion Lewis couldn’t get his home-state university interested in him. None of the big-time powers offered him a scholarship. Pitt not only took him, it started him without the benefit of the customary redshirt season and has been rewarded with one of the best seasons in school history by any running back. Only a year after he was averaging 14.1 yards per carry at Blair Academy in New Jersey, Lewis ranks second among all major college rushers with 918 yards rushing and third with a 131.1 yards per game average—the most among players on a ranked team. With 10 touchdowns and five games remaining, Lewis could threaten McCoy’s 2007 school record of 14 touchdowns as a freshman. “He’s doing everything right,” coach Dave Wannstedt said. “Very few freshmen can make that transition and maintain it. They can do it for a week, two weeks maybe.” Pitt landed McCoy, who was known to everyone at the school as Shady, mostly because of Wannstedt’s persistence. Nearly every school that was recruiting him backed off McCoy after he broke his right ankle four games into his high school senior season. The Panthers didn’t, and McCoy went on to rush for 2,816 yards in two seasons—1,328 as a freshman and 1,488 as a sophomore—that were rivaled at Pitt only by Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett. McCoy now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Panthers landed Lewis mostly because of the player’s own persistence. He kept sending out tapes of his high school runs even after numerous schools passed him by, partly because of his size. He’s listed at 5-foot-8 and might be shorter, yet he’s run consistently well not only to the outside, but between the tackles. - AP Sports
10/21/09 - (QB) - Bill Stull, rSr, 6-3, 215 A case can be made that Pittsburgh’s Bill Stull is the most improved quarterback in the nation. And that’s why Pitt is one of the nation’s surprise teams. Last season, Stull was 188-of-330 (56.9 percent) for 2,356 yards, with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Pitt finished 9-4 overall and 5-2 in league play in spite of Stull’s uneven play. A 3-0 loss to Oregon State in the Sun Bowl summed up the plight of Pitt’s offense. In the offseason, offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh left to coach quarterbacks with the New York Jets and Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt tabbed Frank Cignetti to take over. Cignetti’s arrival has made a difference. Stull, a senior, is the top-rated passer in the Big East; he is 114-of-171 for 1,409 yards, with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions, and Pitt is 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big East going into Saturday’s game with USF. “Billy has done a good job buying into what we are teaching,” Cignetti said. “He is trusting what he sees – trusting the protection, trusting his receivers to be where they are supposed to be, trusting what he sees. Matt did a good job with him before I got here. “He also has some good playmakers around him in [running back] Dion Lewis, [wide receiver] Jonathan Baldwin and [tight end] Dorin Dickerson.” - Tom Dienhart, Rivals.com
10/19/09 - (RB) - Dion Lewis, Fr, 5-08, 195 BIG EAST WEEK 7 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Pittsburgh running back Dion Lewis was chosen as BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week after he ran for 180 yards on 31 carries, including touchdown runs of 1 and 58 yards, to help Pittsburgh improve to 3-0 in the BIG EAST with a 24-17 win at Rutgers. Lewis averaged 5.8 yards per carry against a Scarlet Knight defense that had limited opponents to just 2.3 yards per attempt. Lewis leads the BIG EAST and ranks third nationally in rushing (131.1 yards per game). - BIG EAST football
10/19/09 - (SS) - Dom DeCicco, Jr, 6-3, 230 GAME BALL GOES TO: SS Dom DeCicco made up for a first-quarter blunder with an interception of Rutgers QB Tom Savage. The interception not only was the first of the season thrown by the true freshman, but was Pitt's first in more than four games, covering 117 pass attempts. Pitt has intercepted only four balls all season. DeCicco had earlier let a bouncing punt hit his leg, allowing the Scarlet Knights to recover at the Pitt 11 and score their first TD.
10/16/09 - (RB) - Dion Lewis, Fr, 5-08, 195 Freshman Dion Lewis ran for 180 yards and two touchdowns and Pittsburgh ended four years of frustration against Rutgers with a 24-17 victory on Friday night. Lewis scored on runs of 1 and 58 yards and Bill Stull threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Dorin Dickerson as the Panthers (6-1, 3-0 Big East) beat Rutgers (4-2, 0-2) for the first time since 2004. Dan Hutchins added a career-long 45-yard field goal and the Panthers held Rutgers to a season-low 38 yards rushing in getting off to their best conference start since 2003. Pittsburgh still has No. 8 Cincinnati, West Virginia and South Florida left on its league schedule. Mohamed Sanu scored on an 11-yard run, Tom Savage threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tim Brown and San San Te kicked a 23-yard field goal for the Scarlet Knights, who had a four-game winning streak snapped. - AP Sports
10/16/09 - (DE) - Greg Romeus, rJr, 6-5, 270 SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Pitt's defense is one of the nation's best, but it faces a challenge in true freshman QB Tom Savage. "Savage is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the nation," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. "He could have gone anywhere in the country." Savage had missed a game with a concussion. He has thrown for 693 yards and four touchdowns without an interception as a true freshman. Pitt likes to live off turnovers, but Rutgers has played three consecutive games without turning the ball over. "They definitely are doing things as a football team better than they did in Week One (against Cincinnati) and should feel good about themselves after four wins in a row," Wannstedt said. PLAYERS TO WATCH: DE Greg Romeus is the No. 1 pass rusher for the Panthers and among the nation's best, averaging more than a sack a game. If he can get QB Tom Savage out of the pocket and throwing under pressure, it could lead to some freshmen mistakes that Savage has avoided to date.
10/16/09 - (QB) - Bill Stull, rSr, 6-3, 215 SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: While QB Bill Stull is the glue to the Pitt offense, the offense is energized by freshman RB Dion Lewis. "He's energized the team No. 1 because he has talent, we know that," said coach Dave Wannstedt. "He came in playing a position which if you had asked every member of our fooball team and our coaching staff we thought would be our biggest void. We lost our entire backfield, and these were good players, two guys on NFL rosters now and a third hurt in camp. By coming in and having success, Dion has been a huge spark for our football team." Lewis is sixth in the nation in rushing with 738 rushing yards and averages 5.6 yards a carry. His backup is Ray Graham, another true freshman, who has moved into the mix. Rutgers has the conference's top run defense. "They are playing great defense right now," Wannstedt said. "They score on defense. People aren't running the ball on them. This will be our biggest challenge." PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Bill Stull He may hold the key to this game. With Rutgers looking vulnerable to the pass and with him holding a hot hand and a lot of confidence, Pitt will certainly ask him to control the ball through the air. He has discovered a pair of reliable receivers in TE Dorin Dickerson and WR Jonathan Baldwin. Not turning the ball over to an opportunistic Rutgers defense will be crucial.
10/16/09 - (RB) - Dion Lewis, Fr, 5-08, 195 THIS WEEK'S GAME: Pitt at Rutgers, Oct. 16 Coming off an inspiring comeback victory over Connecticut, Pitt goes on the road with a lot to prove against a team that is playing well and has its number in recent years. Although Pitt holds a 19-7 edge in the series, Rutgers has won the last four meetings. Pitt last beat Rutgers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh in 2004. Pitt comes in on a hot streak and has won 15 of its last 20 games, going back to 2007. KEYS TO THE GAME: To win this game, Pitt is going to have to establish the run against the stingiest run defense (65.2 yards a game) in the conference and the sixth best in the nation, but last week the Panthers ran against UConn, which came in leading the league in that statistic. QB Bill Stull is facing a porous pass defense (237.4 yards a game) and will attack that to try and open up some running lanes. Rutgers has a true freshman quarterback in Tom Savage, so the Panthers will try to put pressure on him to cause a turnover or two. Savage, however, has not thrown an interception this year. PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Dion Lewis The freshman has been nothing short of fantastic, ranking sixth in the nation in rushing yards, but he faces the No. 6 run defense in the nation that it will be geared to put the stop on him. If he can find some holes and force Rutgers to commit safeties in the run game, it will open things up even further for QB Bill Stull.
10/16/09 - (WR) - Jonathan Baldwin, So, 6-5, 225 PLAYERS TO WATCH: WR Jonathan Baldwin is just two yards shy of having four consecutive 100-yard receiving games. He managed only 98 yards on two catches against N.C. State while gaining 111 against Navy, 105 against Louisville and 104 against UConn.
10/16/09 - (QB) - Bill Stull, rSr, 6-3, 215 Coach Dave Wannstedt and the Pitt Panthers fight the ghosts of seasons past when they travel to Rutgers. "They've had our number the last four years," Wannstedt said. Rutgers, which once self-cast in the role of Panthers' patsy, has won four straight by playing very good football. "They played better than we have. That's the bottom line," Wannstedt said. "We have to find a way to step our game up and meet their challenges." Rutgers had a rare league game as its season opener, losing badly to Cincinnati, 47-15, but that was a month ago, and the Scarlet Knights have won four in a row since. "This will be our biggest challenge," Wannstedt said. Pitt will try to turn its freshman running sensation Dion Lewis loose against the best run defense in the conference, but not until it establishes that quarterback Bill Stull, who has mysteriously become one of the top players in the conference, tests a weak Rutgers pass defense. Lewis has been the most devastating part of the Pitt ground game, but another true freshman, Ray Graham, has thrust himself into the mix over the past two games. "They are different type backs," Wannstedt said. "The thing that separates them was that Dion was here since January and went through the spring and knew the offense coming into camp. Ray has a lot more make-you-miss ability. He has a little LeSean McCoy in him." Stull has impressed Rutgers coach Greg Schiano most with the way he has protected the ball this year, completing 13 TD passes while throwing only three interceptions. "Bill Stull is playing at an efficiency level that is as good as anyone in the country," Schiano said.
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