PITTSBURGH — Bill Stull threw for two touchdowns, Dion Lewis ran for two and No. 20 Pitt scored on all five possessions in the first half to rout South Florida 41-14 on Saturday and extend its best start to a season in 27 years.

The Panthers (4-0 in Big East) are 7-1 for the first time since 1982 — Dan Marino's senior season and the last time Pitt was ranked No. 1.

They made this one look easy as Stull completed his first 11 passes against a Bulls defense that appeared geared to stopping Lewis at the start, before he took over and run for 111 yards in three quarters to push his season's total to 1,029 yards.

Lewis went into the game No. 3 nationally in rushing with a 131 yards per game average. He was pulled along with most of the Panthers' regulars with Pitt ahead 34-7. Lewis, who has five 100-yard games, is only the fourth Pitt freshman to rush for at least 1,000 yards in a season, joining Tony Dorsett (1973), Curvin Richards (1988) and LeSean McCoy (2007).

South Florida (5-2, 1-2) repeatedly hurt itself early with penalties — the Big East's most-penalized team drew the game's first eight penalties and ended with 71 penalty yards — and never got into an offensive rhythm, partly because Pitt kept scoring so quickly. The Bulls have been outscored 75-31 in losses to Cincinnati and Pitt after moving into the Top 25 two weeks ago.

The Bulls had as many penalty yards (40) as offensive yards (40) late in the first quarter and ended up getting outgained 486-212.

Stull, whose senior season statistics to date exceed Marino's in 1982, hit Jonathan Baldwin for completions of 40, 34 and 35 yards while repeatedly finding receivers open by several steps behind South Florida defenders. Baldwin made six catches for 144 yards.

Stull was repeatedly given time to throw by an offensive line that effectively controlled Bulls pass rushers George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul. He found tight end Dorin Dickerson for completions of 20 and 22 yards on Pitt's first possession to set up his 2-yard scoring pass to backup tight end Mike Cruz. It was Cruz's first college reception.

Pitt went ahead 14-0 on Stull's 40-yard scoring pass to Baldwin on the first play of the second quarter. South Florida answered with Mike Ford's 3-yard TD run, but Pitt needed only six plays to make it 21-7 on Lewis' 1-yard run.

Later in Pitt's 24-point second quarter, Lewis' 48-yard run put him over the 1,000-yard mark and set up his second 1-yard TD run.

Stull was 18 of 25 for 245 yards and wasn't sacked. He has 16 touchdowns passes, only one fewer than Marino threw in 1982, and four interceptions after having nine TD passes and 10 interceptions as a junior.

Stull has thrown for 473 yards and three touchdowns as Pitt has beaten South Florida each of the last two seasons, including a 26-21 upset last season when South Florida was No. 10.

Even after the Pitt backups took over, Tino Sunseri found Dickerson on a 7-yard scoring pass play early in the fourth quarter.

By winning, the Panthers assured themselves itself of a second consecutive bowl appearance, the first time they've done that since 2003-04.