When Pittsburgh wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin entered the weight room early last spring, he meant business.

All year he lifted with linebacker Steve Dell. Though Dell had 20 pounds on Baldwin, lifting with a big guy pushed him to get stronger.

The two had a good thing going and formed what Baldwin called ‘The 300 Club.’

Then, Dion Lewis entered the picture.

‘Here comes this freshman, and he comes over and tries to work out with us,’ said Baldwin, a sophomore. ‘I kept jawing with him, telling him he can’t lift with us unless he is in the club. You know, unless he can press at least 300 pounds.’

Lewis, who graduated high school early and enrolled at Pitt in January, was unfazed by the receiver’s taunting and started to lift.

‘We start pumping, and he was stronger than me,’ said Baldwin, who now rooms with Lewis. ‘Now we all work out together and are the first ones to hit the weights and the last ones to leave the weight room.’

For the record, Lewis currently bench presses 360 pounds. But such staggering numbers have extended to the gridiron, as well. It’s a strength Lewis will use to try and muscle No. 13 Pittsburgh (7-1, 4-0 Big East) past Syracuse (3-5, 0-3) Saturday at Heinz Field (noon, ESPNU).

Through seven games this season, the true freshman Lewis, who rose from third on the depth chart to starter, has accumulated 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Opening night against Youngstown State, Lewis rushed for 129 yards, setting a school record for the best opening-day rushing performance by a freshman. In his second collegiate game, Lewis ran for 190 yards against Buffalo.

Then came the Big East.

Lewis proved his worth after rushing for 158, 180 and 111 yards against Connecticut, Rutgers and South Florida, respectively.

‘I have been around for a while, and he is one of the better running backs I have seen,’ South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt said. ‘The only way we could stop him was by loading up the box, and the one time we didn’t he got out for 48 yards. He is so strong, you need a number of people to bring him down.’

In fact, not many people have brought him down.

Lewis said the biggest hit he has taken since playing on Saturdays was by his own teammate, linebacker Manny Williams, during spring practice.

The 5-foot-8, 195 pound Lewis models his game after Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew. Though both backs lack height, their strength and quickness have proved to be a lethal combination.

‘I have always tried to watch Maurice Jones-Drew because we are similar in height and strong and physical,’ Lewis said. ‘I try to use my strength every way I can.’

Strength, however, is not all Lewis uses when he attacks defenses each week.

Baldwin refers to his friend as ‘the three combination back.’

‘Some backs just are fast and they can out-run you,’ said Baldwin, who says he can only catch Lewis when the two are playing NCAA football video games. ‘Dion is fast, shifty and can run you over.’

His style caught the eye of Pittsburgh head coach Dave Wannstedt immediately.

When Lewis was a junior at Blair Academy (N.J.), he sent a DVD to Wannstedt, hoping to spark interest. The running back was not highly recruited, attracting interest from Temple, Tulane and just ‘a couple of other Big East schools,’ Lewis said.

The tactic worked.

‘I saw him for eight plays and knew this kid could run,’ Wannstedt said. ‘I worried about his size but knew he had talent.’

It was easy for Lewis to choose Pitt. He felt most comfortable with the Panthers’ coaching staff and ‘got real close’ with them because they recruited him the most.

But even Wannstedt has been a bit surprised by all Lewis has accomplished thus far.

‘I thought maybe he could be great for three or four games this year,’ Wannstedt said. ‘But to have done what he has done for eight games in a row is impressive. He is just so mature and dependable.’

Lewis’ maturity was on full display last January.

He opted to graduate early from Blair Academy and enroll at Pitt so he could participate in spring workouts.

‘I didn’t care about missing prom and graduation parties,’ Lewis said. ‘I was just focused on getting better and getting a head start. I don’t mind missing that stuff because it is just all about football for me.’

Tony Dorsett, Curtis Martin and most recently, LeSean McCoy, have highlighted a list of impressive running backs to play for the Panthers.

When asked about the lineage of backs he has had to follow, Lewis’ focus became quite clear.

‘I got to meet LeSean over the summer and before last game I said a quick hello to Curtis Martin, but all I am thinking about is blocking, that is the biggest area for improvement for me,’ Lewis said. ‘I am not worried about filling anyone’s shoes.

Lewis is not the only one who is ignoring the past.

Baldwin has trouble even remembering that the team lost star McCoy, last year’s star back, to the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.

‘I cannot tell that we lost LeSean,’ Baldwin said. ‘It really helps that you have someone come in and is just as good and could be better than LeSean when all is said and done.’

There is only one area Lewis has had some trouble in since becoming a Panther.

‘My mom used to do all my laundry, so right now, it is really piling up,’ he said. ‘It is the thing I really don’t like. It might even be harder than football right now.’

For a brief moment, Lewis laughed, but he went right back to what is foremost on his mind.

‘I just have so much to improve on, I got to keep working extra hard and put in all the extra time,’ Lewis said.

His hard work has certainly paid off so far, sparking some to wonder if Lewis deserves to be in the Heisman Trophy conversation.

For Wannstedt, his running backs’ productivity has earned him that honor.

‘It is tough for a head coach to start screaming about his player deserving to be in the conversation,’ Wannstedt said. ‘But I think his numbers speak for themselves. Look at the running backs around the country. No one has been as productive as him.’

restern@syr.edu