PITTSBURGH — Thanks to star-in-the-making LeSean McCoy, Pitt finally solved its season-long problems with its short game.

McCoy, the third freshman in Pittsburgh's 118-season football history to run for at least 1,000 yards in a season, scored the go-ahead touchdown from the 1 early in the fourth quarter and the Panthers overcame another slow start to beat Syracuse 20-17 Saturday.

McCoy ran for 140 yards on 31 carries in his sixth 100-yard game, the most by any Pitt freshman since Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett had 10 in 1973. McCoy has 1,065 yards with three games to play, putting him behind only Dorsett (1,686 yards) and Curvin Richards (1,228 yards in 1988) among Pitt freshmen.

"I knew it had been a while since a freshman ran for 1,000 yards, but I didn't know how long," McCoy said. He is the fifth freshman in Big East history to reach the mark and has 562 yards in his last four games.

"We knew what type of player LeSean McCoy was coming out of high school," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. "Did I think he could be this type of player this quick? Yes, I did. And when we start throwing the ball more effectively, he'll be even more of a big play threat."

McCoy was expected to attend Miami and wasn't considering Pitt until he tore up a knee and ankle only a month into his high school senior season in Harrisburg, Pa., in 2005. Pitt kept recruiting him after he was hurt and wound up getting him when many other schools backed off.

McCoy is Pitt's first 1,000-yard rusher since Kevan Barlow in 2000.

"I thought I'd get 1,000 eventually but I didn't think I'd get it in my first season," McCoy said. "It hasn't hit me. When it hits me, I'll be excited."

Pitt (4-5, 2-2), the loser of five of its previous six games, needed every one of McCoy's yards and two long kick returns to hold off Syracuse (2-7, 1-3). The Orange never found any consistency on offense, although backup Cameron Dantley threw two touchdown passes.