At the beginning of this season, Ray Graham emerged as an early contender in the Heisman Trophy race.

The Pittsburgh running back rushed for 201 yards in the opener against Buffalo and followed it up with a 121-yard performance against Maine to lead the Panthers to a 2-0 start. Three games later, Graham ran over South Florida for 226 yards in front of a national audience on a Thursday night.

But less than a month later against Connecticut, his season — and Heisman dream — was over after he suffered a major knee injury.

Pittsburgh turned to Zach Brown, a senior transfer from Wisconsin who was an afterthought in the Badgers offense the past two seasons, to carry the load.

‘We obviously run our offense, but there’s no replacing Ray,’ Pitt head coach Todd Graham said during the Big East teleconference Nov. 14. ‘Ray just did it all. Ray could run inside, outside, a tremendous receiver and big play capabilities. Zach is more of a power runner, a guy that can really bang it up inside and a really, really good receiver.’

Brown served as an adequate replacement in three games as the featured back. Even though the senior transfer didn’t rack up the massive yardage that Graham did early in the season, he averaged more than five yards per carry running behind a battered offensive line.

But now Brown is hurt, too, leaving his status in doubt for Pittsburgh’s final game of the regular season against Syracuse (5-6, 1-5 Big East) on Saturday at noon. If he can’t go, Panthers quarterback Tino Sunseri will hand the ball off primarily to freshman Isaac Bennett in hopes the Panthers’ (5-6, 3-3 Big East) third starting running back this season will rise to the occasion and help send the team to a bowl game.

The Panthers can thank Brown for keeping Pittsburgh in a situation in which it can still make a bowl.

‘He’s another guy that’s been banged up and has really just shown unbelievable toughness for us, and he’s been stellar,’ Todd Graham said during the teleconference. ‘ … He’s really gotten better with his perimeter running and has caught the ball very well out of the backfield and been very efficient.’

But even if Brown can’t carry the ball Saturday, the Panthers don’t expect to change a lot. Ray Graham was perhaps the most crucial piece to the Pittsburgh offense early in the season, but the Panthers offense stayed the same with Brown in the backfield.

Graham was a prototypical do-it-all back who relied primarily on his speed and quickness. Brown, on the other hand, was the perfect complement to Graham in the first month of the season as a power back that could move the chains in short yardage.

Their differences in style combined to form an ideal backfield for Pittsburgh. So when Graham went down, the Panthers needed a speedy running back to provide a change of pace in the offense.

Bennett provided that burst of speed to go with Brown’s pounding running style.

Less than a month ago, Bennett thought he was going to redshirt. The true freshman didn’t get his first carry until he carried the ball six times for 26 yards in a loss to Cincinnati. Since then, Bennett has rushed for 138 yards in two games coming in to give the powerful Brown a break.

‘Isaac Bennett, the freshman, has been a good complement to Zach, as Zach was to Ray,’ Todd Graham said. ‘They’re just very different backs. … Probably between Ray and Zach is where Isaac would fall.’

If Bennett gets the call against Syracuse with Brown hurting, the offense could have a similar feel as it had with Ray Graham carrying the load. At least that’s what Bennett thinks.

The head coach likes the unique styles of all three running backs — each with his own skillset and strength as a running back. Bennett feels that all three backs have similar styles and that each can do a little bit of everything.

‘I see myself as both, and like Zach, I even see him as both, and Ray, I see him as both,’ Bennett said. ‘I’ve seen Ray run a couple guys over and Zach likes to power down. I see all us as both in a little way.’

Bennett’s high school coach agrees.

During Bennett’s senior season at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Okla., he amassed more than 1,300 yards on the ground thanks to his ability to do a little bit of everything for the Hornets.

‘He’s a multilevel runner. He’s a slasher, he can get in the crease, or he can give power running, put his shoulders down and run over someone,’ Booker T. Washington head coach Darrell Hall said. ‘And he’s very elusive, he’s got pretty good hips on him that allows him to put a move on a guy, and with the size he’s put on and the speed he already had, it makes him a very versatile runner.’

Bennett is just another example of the depth Pittsburgh has had to utilize in a difficult season.

With starters constantly banged up at every position, it hasn’t just been the backfield that’s been hurting. The Panthers also spent much of the season without star offensive lineman Lucas Nix, a likely mid-round draft choice in the 2012 NFL Draft in April. Nix was back in the lineup in last Friday’s loss to West Virginia and will make life easier for whoever is running the football for the Panthers on Saturday.

Between the hectic offseason that ended with the hire of new head coach Todd Graham and a regular season that featured a plethora of injuries, Pittsburgh has battled to get to within one win of bowl eligibility.

The Panthers’ fate on Saturday, with a postseason berth on the line, could rest on the freshman Bennett’s legs in what would be his first career start.

But the injuries have made Pittsburgh stronger and taught the players valuable lessons. The Panthers believe they can win despite all the injuries.

‘I think it speaks to the character of our team and how much these guys love each other and care about each other, and we do have a great synergy,’ Todd Graham said. ‘ … We’ve got a lot of guys that have stepped up, and I think this just shows the preparation and the training and that they were prepared and that this means something to them.’

dbwilson@syr.edu