LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Who was that guy wearing the No. 11 Pitt jersey last night?

Was it really Bill Stull, who was booed at Heinz Field on the first series of the first game last month?

The same Bill Stull, who played so abysmally in Pitt's 3-0 loss to Oregon State in the Sun Bowl last season?

Funny, I would have sworn it was Dan Marino leading Pitt past Louisville, 35-10.

There's not much chance Stull will be booed by the home crowd next Saturday when Pitt plays Connecticut. His performance here on a chilly Kentucky night kept that game relevant as far as the Panthers' hopes for a Big East Conference championship are concerned. Against a bad Louisville team, when Pitt easily could have been beaten and its season ruined, he was superb. Three touchdown passes and no interceptions added up to one very huge road win.

"He's grown up a lot as a football player and, I believe, as a man," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said afterward.

It's an amazing story, really.

The undeniable truth?

Stull has played well enough for Pitt to be 5-0 and ranked in the top 25 instead of 4-1 and -- to this point -- not even an afterthought in the minds of the AP poll voters. He has thrown 11 touchdown passes and just one interception.

I wish I would have predicted that before the season.

I feel a bit foolish about now for thinking Stull was going to be Pitt's weak link. Not that I was alone. Even Wannstedt gave him a lukewarm endorsement before the season.

How much fun Stull must be having proving all of us wrong. He doesn't look at all like the quarterback who was so bad in that Sun Bowl fiasco.

"He's not the same guy," Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti said late last night. "His experience last season has made him a better quarterback this season. His level of consistency has been second to none. He's worked so hard and prepared so well to perform. We tell him all the time. 'Trust what you see and make clear, decisive decisions.' He's making decisive decisions."

Stull's touchdown passes of 37 yards to tight end Dorin Dickerson and 71 yards to wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin highlighted Pitt's 28-point second half. His timing couldn't have been better. Pitt trailed, 10-7, at the half and appeared on the verge of a second consecutive crushing defeat after blowing a 14-point second-half lead at North Carolina State six days earlier.

Stull's final numbers were impressive: 16 of 23 for 242 yards and the three scores. They would have been significantly better if his teammates had done their jobs as well as he did his. In the first half, wide receiver Oderick Turner dropped a pass that should have gone for an 18-yard gain, a 19-yard pass to Baldwin was called back by a holding penalty and a 41-yard touchdown pass to Turner was nullified by an illegal-shift call.

But as much as Pitt tried to lose the game in the first half, Stull wouldn't let it happen.

"He kept his composure," Wannstedt said. "Even though we dropped a few balls and committed a few penalties, he never came unraveled. He's maintained that focus all year."

Stull led Pitt on an eight-play, 75-yard drive to start the third quarter -- Dickerson's touchdown catch finished it and gave Pitt a 14-10 lead -- then needed just one play on the next possession to find Baldwin behind double coverage to make it 21-10. Running backs Ray Graham and Henry Hynoski added fourth-quarter touchdown runs to complete what turned out to be a pretty nice night for the Panthers.

Maybe it wasn't the most impressive of wins -- considering the competition -- but it sure beat the alternative.

Pitt's defense was significantly improved over its lame effort at North Carolina State when it was torched for 530 yards and allowed three consecutive second-half touchdown drives in a 38-31 loss. Heavily hyped defensive ends Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard finally lived up to that hype, leading a fierce pass rush that produced six sacks, 3 1/2 by Romeus. Louisville quarterback Adam Froman -- playing in place of injured starter Justin Burke -- did not have a chance.

"A great win," Wannstedt called it. "But the best part about it is we can play a lot better."

I'm not sure about that, at least in Stull's case. It's hard to believe he can play much better. That's OK, though. What he's doing now is plenty good enough for Pitt to win a lot more games.