Pitt junior quarterback Bill Stull began his football career as a 6-year-old defensive end. He was one of the smallest players on the field because he was playing in a league filled with 7- and 8-year-olds.

Looking back, he thinks that was probably the best way for him to learn this lesson about football -- it's a sport for tough guys.

That's a lesson he has never forgotten. One that has helped put him on the brink of being the starting quarterback at a Division I program.

"You either want to play this game or you don't and, if you do, you better be ready to give it everything you have," Stull said. "And I don't know how to play any other way. But it isn't just me, it is this team. We are all developing that tough guy mentality.

"And that's the way it goes -- if you don't want to play through some bumps and bruises, you shouldn't be playing this sport."

That grittiness has caused teammates to rally behind Stull.

The defining moment probably came last week when Stull hit his throwing hand on a teammate's helmet and required five stitches to close the gash in his thumb. The day after the injury, Stull had to be convinced to take it easy at practice. He wanted to prove he could throw the ball despite the soreness and freshness of the cut.

Two days after the injury, Stull showed up wearing a glove on his throwing hand and returned to action after missing just one practice.

"I can say for myself and a lot of my teammates that when you see your quarterback go down, get back up and then fight through an injury that you know a lot of others would have sat out with, it speaks volumes about his leadership and how serious he is about winning," middle linebacker Scott McKillop said.

Stull was praised by coach Dave Wannstedt for his willingness to play through the thumb injury but he's not sure what the big deal is about. In Stull's mind, that's what football players are supposed to do.

He does understand that he can set the tone for the team as the quarterback and the leader. That's why he will never make excuses when things go wrong or look for the easy way out.

"Everyone looks up to the quarterback position as the leader," Stull said. "And you never know, they see you with a little cut on your thumb and they see you sitting out for a week, they might start to second-guess your toughness and start to doubt you. But sitting out was never an option, I wanted to see if I could tape it up and get back out there and be with my team.

"The one practice I had to sit out -- to sit there and not do anything, for me personally didn't work. I just want to be out there practicing 24/7 with the team."

Even though Stull has appeared in only six games in his college career and completed only 7 of 10 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown, a quick review of his high school career suggests that he knows a thing or two about throwing the football.

He passed for 3,310 yards and 40 touchdowns in his senior season at Seton-LaSalle High School and, in doing so, became the first quarterback in the WPIAL to throw for 3,000 yards in a season.

Stull said he knows that he has proven he can play at this level, but he is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.

"Now is not the time for me to change my work habits. I haven't accomplished anything yet and I have a long way to go before I do," he said.

"There are so many things we need to do as an offense. We're all still making too many mistakes, but we're just now starting to come together. The way I see it is there is always someone who is going to try and take the starting job away so I have to keep working hard and stay focused."

NOTES -- Freshman cornerback Sherod Murdock missed the afternoon practice with a leg injury. ... Redshirt sophomore Craig Bokor moved from the defensive line back to the offensive line and is competing at guard. Also, freshman Aaron Smith of Gateway High School moved to receiver from cornerback. ... Sophomore strongside linebacker Dorin Dickerson has had his snaps with the first team increase the past two days. ... Redshirt junior Adam Gunn has worked some at middle linebacker.