Pittsburgh is uneven, but it is 2-0

Pittsburgh is off to a flying start under new head coach Todd Graham.

The Panthers (2-0) have the nation's leading rusher in Ray Graham, who's averaged 161.0 yards and has scored six touchdowns.  Defensive end Brandon Lindsey, who had 10 sacks last season, is in the top 20 nationally with two sacks so far. Pitt's defense has forced three-and-outs on 17 of 26 possessions this season.

Pitt is off to a flying start on the backs of Buffalo and Maine (FCS school), the Panthers' opponents in their first two games. The Panthers travel to Iowa (1-1) this weekend for their first legit test this season.

"We're thrilled to be 2-0 even though we probably played down to the level of competition last week," Graham said Monday. "We just didn't close it out. . . . Anytime you can go 2-0, you're excited. It gets tougher this week going down to Iowa. We know exactly what to expect there and we have to play our best game to be successful."

Not everything was sunny against Maine last week. Tino Sunseri is definitely the starting QB, Graham said with emphasis Monday. Backup Trey Anderson played in the fourth quarter but Pitt was in control, allowing a couple junk TDs late in the game.

Still, Sunseri threw two interceptions. Graham's no-huddle spread is in its first year at Pitt. The place where the newness is most obvious, of course, is quarterback. Against Maine, Sunseri got off to a slow start and wasn't able to settle in with the offensive line allowing seven sacks.

"I would've liked for us to play a heckuva lot better than we played last week," Graham said. Maine scored its late TDs in the last 3 1/2 minutes of the game. Pitt's pass defense allowed Maine quarterback Warren Smith, a transfer from Iona, which dropped football after the '08 season, to complete 27 of 45 for 334 yards 334 yards and three TDs.

"We've not shown the discipline you need to run this offense," Graham said. "You can't ad lib in this offense. You have to be disciplined and run it. To be quite honest, we haven't played very well at quarterback."

Sunseri has completed 58.7 percent of his passes (37 of 63) for 403 yards, two interceptions and one TD.

"We have great potential and I have great belief in Tino and what we're doing," Graham said. "It's just that there's a lot of pressure at that position. We have to be more disciplined and learn."

Ray Graham has taken up where Pitt's recent running backs have left off. Dion Lewis came after LeSean McCoy and both are now Philadelphia Eagles. Ray Graham, a 5-9, 195-pound junior, is No. 2 in scoring with 18 points a game.

Pitt's O-line is a work in progress, which the 117th in the country in sacks allowed sort of screams. Graham did a lot of his damage last week on his own, making defenders miss and diving into the end zone and absorbing a big hit on one of his scores.

"I just want to win, really" Graham said. "We just have to finish these drives, we really have to. But I'm not worried about who scores or how many yards I get, I really just want to win. When I'm on the field, with the adrenaline rush and everything, you are just playing football."

Todd Graham is a new coach who's looking for banner carriers. He believes he has one in Ray Graham.

"He is unbelievable on game day," coach Graham said. "He is relentless, not just running the ball but blocking. He is a winner; there is not anybody I ever coached who is a better competitor than Ray Graham on game day."

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