Ray Graham rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns to lead Pittsburgh to a 35-29 victory over Maine on Saturday at Heinz Field.

Graham scored two first-half touchdowns and had another with 2:26 left in the third quarter, which helped the Panthers increase their lead to 28-15 after Maine (1-1) had pulled within 20-15 just minutes earlier.

Maine, which lost to a Big East opponent for the fourth time in the last five years, couldn’t get within one possession until the final second, when quarterback Warren Smith connected with Maurice McDonald on a 2-yard touchdown pass.

Smith finished 27-of-45 for 334 yards and two touchdowns for Maine, who was coming off a 28-13 victory over Bryant in its season opener. However, Smith couldn’t pull Maine closer when it mattered most as Pittsburgh forced the Black Bears into consecutive three-and-outs late in the second half.

Pittsburgh (2-0), which held Maine’s star running back Pushaun Brown to just 18 rushing yards on 10 carries, extended its lead to 35-15 midway through the fourth on Zach Brown’s 1-yard touchdown run.

Quarterback Tino Sunseri was mostly inefficient for the Panthers, who improved to 10-0 against FCS opponents. He completed 21-of-35 passes for 224 yards but had two interceptions – both in the second half.

Maine wide receiver Derek Buttles finished with a game-high seven catches for 148 yards and a touchdown.