It’s been a pretty good week for Dion Lewis. The Big East Offensive Player of the Week has gotten a lot of attention, as he is 82 yards from 1000 yards after only 7 games.

The storyline after a trip to Rutgers was how all the other schools missed him. Everyone seems to be running with it including Sports Illustrated.

Two years ago, after rushing for 979 yards and 14 touchdowns on only 79 carries as a junior at Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., Lewis sent copies of his highlight tape to several Division I-A programs, including nearby Rutgers. The response was underwhelming. Only Pitt assistant coach Jeff Hafley paid him a visit, and he immediately began working to get Lewis’s commitment. “I’d run into other coaches who were recruiting one of the seniors [at Blair],” says Hafley, who liked the way the 5’8″, 195-pound Lewis broke tackles and accelerated through holes. “They thought he was too small, and I’d lie and say, ‘Yeah, he’s real small.’ But he’s short, not small. He’s built like a truck.”

And once Pitt got that commitment, Lewis wasn’t interested in going anywhere else.

When Lewis averaged an astounding 14.1 yards per carry as a senior, more major programs — including Cincinnati — checked on his availability. Lewis wouldn’t even take a call. He had verbally committed to Pitt the previous summer.

“If coach (Stone) told me a (college) coach wanted to talk to me,” Lewis said, “I’d say, ‘Tell him I’m not here or something.’ “

The other impressive thing is that he hasn’t worn down at this point. Something many (including me) expected if he didn’t see more splitting of time with Ray Graham.

“You have to tackle him every time,” Wannstedt said. “And, in the fourth quarter, those 21/2-yard runs become four-yard runs. He has proven he can do it all. He can go inside and outside, shows power and speed, and that is very unusual for any back, let alone a freshman.”

Pitt guard John Malecki said it is no coincidence that Lewis is getting better and stronger as games wear on because he is one of the best-conditioned athletes on the team.

Malecki also loves to block for Lewis because he is a physical, straight-ahead runner, the kind of football player people in Western Pennsylvania seem to embrace. Lewis played high school football at Blair Academy in New Jersey.

“Dion is doing a lot of incredible things,” said Malecki, a Franklin Regional graduate. “He is a four-quarter, smash-mouth, Pittsburgh-style running back, even though he is not from around here. You can tell he loves the way we run the football.

“He worked very hard to get into our strength and conditioning program to catch up to older guys, and he fits our mentality as a second-half team. Coach Wannstedt and [strength and conditioning coach] Buddy Morris implement that in all of us. [Lewis] takes it to another level.”

Obviously there are still 6 more games (including a bowl appearance), so he could still hit a wall. The good thing is Pitt hasn’t had a bye week yet. So, there will be a week off after this game and between ND and WVU to hopefully be refreshed during the final games.

And, yes, the Bulls know they will have to focus on stopping him.

“His feet are always within his body; they never get outside his framework, and they’re always moving. He does a great job with balance, does a great job with vision seeing the field,” defensive coordinator Joe Tresey said. “You just don’t know where he’s going to appear sometimes. He just gets behind people and, boom, he’s outside on the perimeter outrunning people. … He’s the best back we’ve seen so far this year without a doubt.”