The previous time Pitt had two 1,000-yard rushers in one season was, well, it has never happened. At least according to the school's sports information office.

That could change this year.

Sophomore tailback Ray Graham says he's ready to have a breakout season and become an explosive second option in the Panthers' backfield.

"Hey it is possible, it is certainly possible [for Pitt to have two 1,000-yard rushers]," Graham said Sunday after practice. "I think, though, I just have to take things one play at a time, let the games come to me and when I get those opportunities to carry the ball make the most of them."

Graham, from Elizabeth, N.J., is the backup to Panthers All-American tailback Dion Lewis. But Graham might be the more physically gifted and last year showed flashes of his potential when he got the opportunity.

He had only 61 carries in 2009 but had 349 yards (5.7 yards per carry) and scored four touchdowns.

While he had a number of exciting runs, the one that stands out was a 53-yard jaunt down the sidelines to set up a touchdown in the Panthers' 27-22 win against Notre Dame.

The play, which saw Graham juke just about everybody on the Notre Dame defense, is described in Pitt's media guide as "a dazzling 53-yard run, highlighted by spin moves and cut backs." It is one of the signature plays of any highlight reel of the Panthers' 2009 season.

But Graham wants to be more than just a guy who makes the occasional big play. He wants to become a consistent performer who complements Lewis and can carry the load when asked.

"You are not always going to make the big plays, not every run is going to go the distance," Graham said. "I am excited to get out there and help the team but my goal in the offseason was to get in the playbook and study and learn as much as I can while working out to get stronger. I feel like I've done all the homework and put in the time and now I need to show it on the field ... that I can do it every play.

"But Dion and I complement each other, we don't compete against each other. We are teammates and I feel as though we can help each other out. I just want to be patient and take advantage of opportunities I am going to get. Dion is a hard worker, it is no accident why he's so good."

Graham's attitude has been consistently positive. That's one of the things Pitt coaches appreciated about him. He was the more highly recruited player of the two, but Lewis was at Pitt last spring and got a head start. He ended up winning the starting job by the time spring drills were over, four months before Graham even arrived to compete for it.

But Graham didn't view playing behind Lewis as a negative. He looked at it as an opportunity to improve while learning the system and getting acclimated to college. That should pay off this season since Graham will have a much larger role in the offense.

"Ray's always been a mature guy and a guy we could trust," Pitt running backs coach David Walker said. "Ray did more last year than we could ask for considering he was a freshman. Now he just needs to keep improving it all as he gets into the offense and gets more comfortable. But there is no question he will allow us to have at least two tailbacks who know the whole offense and can be productive in it.

"I think last year, there were certain parts of the offense that I felt better than others him executing whereas this year, I feel comfortable with him going out there and executing anything we'll ask Dion to do. We have two guys now who are both productive enough to help us win games so we'll play them both."

Walker said that there will be times when the Panthers will have Graham and Lewis in the same backfield, similar to the way they used LeSean McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling together in certain formations in 2008. It should be a look that will give defenses plenty of problems.

Graham said he and Lewis have talked about playing in the same backfield. Both are excited about the possibilities and believe there will be plenty of opportunity for both to make big plays.

"That would be something great," Graham said, "I mean, I can't wait to see that happen because now, the defenses wouldn't know who to key on, who is getting the ball so it would be great to keep the defenders guessing, it would be a great look for us.

"With the linemen that we have, they open up holes for us to spring the big plays and then once Dion or I get into the open field ... I'll just say that's going to be some trouble for the defenders."

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