Since Pitt has not had a winning football season since 2004 and almost certainly will not have one this year, even narrow victories against the likes of Syracuse, the unofficial Big East Conference doormat, must be cherished. But no one should get too excited about the 20-17 victory yesterday at Heinz Field.

The win raised Pitt's record to 4-5 with three difficult games remaining against Rutgers, South Florida and West Virginia. The Panthers would need to win all three to have a winning season. Two victories could get them into a fifth-rate bowl game. No one should count on either.

What transpired against the Orange, who fell to 2-7, was not a cause for excitement nor does it necessarily speak to a better future for Pitt's program.

Certain truths came out of the game, which matched the two worst teams in the Big East:

• There's no disputing that in freshman LeSean McCoy, who ran for 143 yards on 31 carries, Pitt has a running back of such excellence that he will certainly play in the NFL some day and, in fact, that day could well come before his college eligibility expires.

• In freshman Pat Bostick, who completed 21 of 30 passes for 153 yards, they have a quarterback of sweet promise but one who very much remains a work in progress and one who has yet to grab the full confidence of offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh.

• The Pitt defense is not the sieve it was as recently as two games ago when it was embarrassed by Navy and coordinator Paul Rhoads is not the complete fool his critics had pictured him as.

• Overall, the team is getting better but there are serious questions if there is enough talent to catch up with what has become a vastly improved league.

Three years ago, after the defections of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College, Pitt could seriously consider being a perennial Big East contender. But all that changed in a hurry. Newcomers South Florida, Louisville and Cincinnati have unexpectedly become much better; former soft touches Rutgers and Connecticut have progressed enormously and West Virginia continues to be excellent.

So despite McCoy and Bostick, Pitt looks to be considerably behind its competition.

What was most discouraging about this game and why coach Dave Wannstedt, still on crutches as the result of Achilles tendon surgery, referred to his offense as "struggling" was the Panthers' inability to move the ball against one of the worst defenses in the country.

Both of the Panthers touchdowns were set up by special teams, the first on a 64-yard kickoff return in the second quarter by Lowell Robinson to the Syracuse 23 and the second on a 53-yard punt return on the last play of the third quarter by Aaron Berry to the Syracuse 13.

Most of the afternoon Pitt was unable to sustain its offense, even with McCoy's outstanding play, and here's why that's particularly disheartening:

Syracuse came into this game last in the Big East in pass defense, run defense, scoring defense, total defense, first downs allowed, third-down conversions, sacks and fourth-down conversions.

Those statistical deficiencies had previously translated into lots of points. The Orange gave up 42 to Washington, 35 to Iowa, 41 to Illinois, 35 to Louisville, 55 to West Virginia and 38 to Rutgers.

That pretty much says the Orange have been able to stop no one. Except Pitt.

The Panthers had only two drives of more than 31 yards. They moved 80 yards in the first quarter to a second-and-goal on the Syracuse 1, but were stopped three consecutive times -- McCoy twice and fullback Conredge Collins once. A 50-yard drive late in the third quarter resulted in a missed 42-yard field goal.

With 43 seconds remaining, McCoy was stopped on fourth-and-1 at the Syracuse 30. This gave Syracuse a chance to come back for a tying field goal, but the Pitt defense held.

But don't get too excited about that defense either. It's playing better, but it wasn't playing against much yesterday. Syracuse was last in the Big East in scoring, rushing, total offense, first downs and sacks allowed.

Off the field, Pitt is also struggling. The difficulty the program is facing in attracting upper-tier recruits goes way beyond the fact Wannstedt's contract, with two years remaining, has not been extended. The team is playing boring football in a sterile environment in front of more empty seats than fans. Although Pitt announced the crowd as 31,374 that can only mean -- excuse the old line -- about 10,000 fans came disguised as empty seats.

It was a nice win for the Panthers, but it will mean nothing unless they can win at least one of the final three.