Two games, over 300 rushing yards. Even with a 1-AA team in that mix, that’s a nice start to a college career. It gets some attention. Yet despite this start, he hasn’t gotten Big East Player of the Week honors yet. Only “Honor Roll” for the first two weeks.
Last week Pat Forde at ESPN.com took note.
Pittsburgh running back Dion Lewis (27). The diminutive (5-foot-8) heir apparent to LeSean McCoy scored three touchdowns before halftime, two rushing and one receiving, and finished with 129 rushing yards in the Panthers’ walloping of Youngstown State.
Echoed this week by Stewart Mandel at SI.com.
Pittsburgh wasted little time finding its next great running back now that LeSean McCoy‘s in the NFL. True freshman Dion Lewis carried 24 times for 190 yards and two TDs and caught six passes for 72 yards in a 54-27 win over Buffalo. That’s following his 129-yard debut against Youngstown State.
And getting a little Q&A time from Sporting News.
On succeeding LeSean McCoy: I don’t really think about it. We’ve talked a little bit, and he told me to just work hard and trust the coaches. But I only care about the guys who are here now. It’s not time to think about who used to be here.
Biggest on-field adjustment to college: Learning about defenses. It’s a little bit more complicated in college because the coaches are so good. I got here in January, so it’s made things easier. I’m still working at the mental part of the game.
Biggest off-field adjustment to college: You have a lot more freedom. There’s nobody telling you what to do. You’ve got to make good decisions about your time and try to be everywhere you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there.
The thing about Lewis is he has been such a revelation, despite seeming like an initial afterthought. He got to campus early and was the surprise in spring practice, managing to outwork and outplay Chris Burns who seemed the clear choice to at least start the year as the #1 back.
Even then, there was a belief that Burns got a wake-up call and would reassert himself in the training camp. In the alternative, Lewis would be passed by the more highly-starred/heralded Ray Graham once training camp got underway. Instead, Lewis stayed ahead of Burns and made fewer mistakes than Graham.
He earned the coaches trust and has simply been outstanding as the starter. Lewis will still have doubts until he faces some better defenses and can show that he can take a full season of pounding as the featured back despite his size.
