Ray Graham Injury: Star RB's Leg Injury Will Sink Pittsburgh

As if Pittsburgh's season couldn't get any more gloomy, star running back Ray Graham had to be helped off the field after suffering a right leg injury in the Panthers' first possession against Connecticut on Wednesday.

The junior, who has 939 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the season, has been one of the few bright spots for the the 3-4 Panthers this year and has allowed them to rush for 158.0 yards per game, 59th in the nation.

While junior quarterback Tino Sunseri has struggled, throwing five touchdowns to seven interceptions and getting sacked 32 times, its been Graham who has largely carried the load. Without him, the Panthers probably wouldn't even have three wins.

The severity of Graham's injury is currently unknown, but by all accounts it doesn't look like a mild injury. He reportedly looked to be in pain when being attended to by trainers during the game and was on crutches while the Panthers continued play in the second quarter.

Graham was a big reason the Panthers were averaging 25.3 points per game coming into Wednesday's contest and a prolonged absence would certainly shake the team, especially because the defense hasn't been that good, giving up 24.0 points per game.

Senior running back Zach Brown took over for Graham on Wednesday and will likely carry the majority of the load until Graham gets back. Brown averaged 4.2 yards per carry last season on 66 rushes, scoring three touchdowns.

He's had some good games throughout the years, but would be a noticeable drop from Graham, who is expected to be selected in the NFL draft when he declares.

The Panthers may sink even deeper after an 8-5 record last season.