Dave Wannstedt admittedly likes to use visual gimmicks, unconventional props and zany motivational ploys to help get his team focused before a significant game.

Last week he displayed mouse traps throughout Pitt's South Side football practice facility in anticipation of the Panthers' trip to Syracuse, a message to his team about getting surprised and trapped by a subpar Orange team.

The Panthers (3-1) will face No. 10 South Florida (5-0) Thursday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., in a nationally televised Big East Conference showdown that is one of the biggest games on the schedule. Surely, Wannstedt must have some clever theme for his players, right?

Well, no, and that probably speaks volumes to the fact that the Panthers already understand what is at stake against the Bulls. Beating South Florida would be a significant upset.

"If you need a theme to get pumped for this week's game, you might as well not show up," Pitt tailback LaRod Stephens-Howling said. "Everybody better be ready to play. We know it's going to be a tough game. And we have to be ready. We know it's going to be a great atmosphere for them, being at home, and their fans are real rowdy. But we have a pretty much veteran team, so we'll be ready for that.

"This is a big game for us. We knew that, starting last week, every game is for the Big East championship, so that's going to continue with every game. Every one is for the Big East championship from now on out. [South Florida] is one of the top teams in the Big East that everybody is talking about right now, so it's definitely another big statement game for us."

Although the players know this a very big game and aren't afraid to say it, Wannstedt has tried to downplay the magnitude of the game. He said the Panthers are going to treat it like any other game.

He said his main concern is not South Florida but the fact that Pitt hasn't played consistently and mistake-free as of late.

But even in attempting to downplay the game, he couldn't avoid talking about how good South Florida is and that he's eager to see how the Panthers will respond to the atmosphere and hype surrounding the game.

"The focus of our team is to go down there and try to be the best team on the field for three hours," Wannstedt said. "We tell them, 'Don't look at the scoreboard.' That's the same message of the West Virginia game -- don't worry about the scoreboard, just go down there and be the best team for three hours and let the score be what it is.

"We're not going to get caught up in any of this other stuff, it is too early in the year for that."

The Panthers have won three games in a row and are 6-4 in their past 10 games after hitting bottom last season with a home loss to Navy. Those numbers suggest that they are making some progress under Wannstedt considering they were 1-9 in the 10 games against Division I-A competition leading up to and including that Navy loss.

Wannstedt said he wasn't ready to go so far as to say the Panthers have turned the corner, but he does say that signs are positive that things are headed in the right direction. He said South Florida will provide a very good gauge of how far the Panthers have come, but he said that's not much different than the way he views most other games.

"I hope [we've turned the corner] but we'll find out," he said. "This will be a great opportunity this week. This will test us in areas where we haven't been tested -- the atmosphere, the talent -- there are a lot of different factors. In my opinion, the difference in us in this most recent stretch is simply that we have a few more guys who can make a big play. It may be that through the transition our players are more confident and comfortable now and aren't going to panic, but we'll see how things go this week.

"With this being a Thursday night game in front of a full house, it will be an exciting atmosphere and our kids are looking forward to it. We're not where we need to be but we're inching our way closer. We haven't gone backward, so as long as we keep moving forward and keep a good attitude, then I'll be happy"

NOTES -- Weakside linebacker Shane Murray (knee) played 15 snaps in Pitt's win Saturday against Syracuse and said yesterday he expects to be able to play a lot more Thursday against South Florida. ... Strong safety Elijah Fields was beaten on a touchdown pass early in the game Saturday and was replaced by Dom DeCicco, but Wannstedt said yesterday that doesn't necessarily mean DeCicco will start this week. "Both of them will play a lot," Wannstedt said. ... Joe Thomas (ankle) sat out practice Sunday but returned yesterday. He is day to day. The Panthers have no other significant injuries. ... Wannstedt repeated a common theme again yesterday: Freshman receiver Jonathan Baldwin needs to play more. ... Kicker Conor Lee was named the Big East special teams player of the week as well one of three players honored as the Lou Groza Award stars of the week.