TAMPA, Fla. -- Pitt entered the season believing it had a franchise tailback in sophomore LeSean McCoy, and after his freshman season, there was no reason to doubt it.

But after McCoy got off to a slow start this season and failed to register 100 yards rushing in the Panthers' first three games, there were some who wondered whether he was capable of carrying the offense, particularly since he was a marked man.

McCoy silenced some of his critics with an impressive 149-yard performance against Syracuse in a Panthers win Saturday, but the Orange are an awful team so it wasn't a shock that he had his breakout game against them.

Last night, McCoy ended any doubts about whether he could deliver a big-time performance in a big-time game as he rushed 28 times for 142 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead the Panthers to an impressive, 26-21 come-from-behind upset of No. 10 South Florida before 50.307 at Raymond James Stadium.

It was the ninth 100-yard rushing performance of McCoy's short career and the fifth time he has scored more than one touchdown.

After the game, McCoy thanked his offensive line for the way they've blocked the past two games and also thanked his coaches for believing in him even when he was struggling at the start of the season. He said it took him a few games to get rolling, but he has found his groove and now is hoping to reach even greater heights than he did last year when he set multiple freshman rushing records.

"The coaches have been so patient to me, they counted on me to really get going," McCoy said. "You just have to keep swinging, and coaches have been talking to me about that through this. I think the key is I get better with the more carries I get and I think the switch between me and Hot Rod [LaRod Stephens-Howling] is going well because I get a blow and get rested.

"I think more important, the offense is starting to come together and find itself also. The thing with our offensive line is they are getting stronger as the game progresses and every game we are getting better. You can tell that, we know what plays are working and it is all coming together, it is obvious."

McCoy scored the winning points on a 3-yard touchdown run with 4:43 to play. The Panthers, who trailed 21-20 at that point, then handed the game to their defense and the unit came up big for the third week in a row.

Pitt forced South Florida to punt with 3:28 to play. The offense, behind a couple of big runs by McCoy, was able to kill most of the rest of the clock, though the Panthers did have to withstand a desperate pass attempt by South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe as time expired.

It was the third week in a row the Panthers came from behind to win a game in which they trailed in the fourth quarter. According to middle linebacker Scott McKillop, that is a sign the team is maturing and has great character and leadership. He said the win wipes away some of the negative feelings that lingered after the opening-season loss to Bowling Green. But, he said, that loss also taught the Panthers to play four quarters

"That loss left a bitter taste in our mouth," McKillop said. "I think everyone was talking bad about Pitt football and saying we were overrated, but we knew that we are a good team and that we just had to go out there and prove it. Hopefully, this will get people talking about Pitt again."

The Panthers improved to 4-1 (2-0 Big East) and now have 15 days to prepare for the meat of their schedule. The Panthers next game is Oct. 18 at Navy -- the Midshipmen beat the Panthers last year -- and then they will play host to Rutgers Oct. 25 in a key Big East matchup. South Florida fell to 5-1 (0-1 Big East).

It wasn't easy, however, as the Panthers made a couple of critical mistakes that nearly cost them the game, the biggest coming on their second drive of the game. South Florida's Carlton Mitchell blocked an early punt by Dave Brytus, and Charlton Sinclair picked up the loose ball and ran 26 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 South Florida lead.

But the Panthers responded with a 52-yard touchdown pass from Bill Stull to Jonathan Baldwin to tie the score, 7-7, with 5:54 to play in the first quarter. The Panthers extended their lead to 17-7 by halftime on a 6-yard touchdown run by McCoy and a 35-yard field goal by Conor Lee.

The Bulls, however, came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders and pulled within 17-14 on a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Matt Grothe. Pitt extended its lead to 20-14 with a 31-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, but the Bulls, on a 22-yard pass from Grothe to Jessie Hester with 5:57 to play, took their first lead since early in the first quarter, 21-20.

Pitt responded with a three-play, 60-yard scoring drive setting up McCoy's winning score.