Even though offensive lineman Joe Thomas had started 14 games in his first two seasons at Pitt, the pressure was on this season for him to perform. The Pitt coaching staff moved him from right guard to right tackle and promptly placed their most prized recruit behind him on the depth chart.

It was not a subtle move on the part of head coach Dave Wannstedt, who drove the point home numerous times with reporters by saying Lucas Nix, the highly touted freshman out of Thomas Jefferson High School, was pushing Thomas for the starting job.

The message got through loud and clear. It was time to put up or shut up, and Thomas has responded by becoming one of the most consistent players on the offensive line.

"Joe is a good story this year," Wannstedt said. "He knows every day he has to compete and he has to prove himself. He has taken it upon himself to be coachable. He has shown some leadership. I am very pleased with Joe and how the whole transition has taken place."

Thomas, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound junior, said Wannstedt's motivational tactics lit a fire under him. Thomas has as much natural ability as anyone on the offensive line. When he came out of St. Edward in Cleveland, Thomas turned down scholarship offers from Ohio State and Michigan to attend Pitt.

And even though he started seven games as a freshman and seven more last season as a sophomore, Thomas freely admits he has not played to his potential.

"I definitely haven't played to my expectations, especially last year," Thomas said. "I put the blame solely on myself. I wasn't into it. I wasn't giving it my all. I was getting sloppy and lazy. It was my own fault."

That led to the training camp competition with Nix. Thomas recognized he was at a crossroads in his career. If Nix, two years his junior, beat him out, his career at Pitt and any future in the NFL were in jeopardy.

"When [Nix] started to make a push, it woke me up," Thomas said. "There was a realization that I needed to get going. Otherwise, it was going to be, 'See you later.' "

Thomas prepared for the competition by shedding 30 pounds and becoming one of Buddy Morris' prized pupils in the weight room. The weight loss has allowed him to become more athletic, something tackles need to be to deal with speedy edge rushers.

"The difference is making a transition to pass protecting on the edge vs. a guy that can run up the field," offensive line coach Tony Wise said of changing Thomas from guard to tackle. "The skill on the edge is the big deal. He has to play more in space and move his feet more."

In addition to getting in better shape, Thomas has developed more strength. He can bench press 415 pounds and squat 515.

"He is known as one of the stronger guys on the team," Wise said. "I always tell him to put into action what he does in the weight room and transfer that to the field. I still think he can do a better job of that. Buddy keeps telling me how strong he is. Well, I want to see him put it forth on the field. That's what [John] Malecki can do and that's what C.J. [Davis] can do. I think he can do a much better job of that."

Nonetheless, Thomas is firmly entrenched as the starter after five games. Nix, it appears, is going to have to wait his turn.

"He's got a good feel out there for what's happening," Wise said of Thomas. "He is settling in. I think he's improved a lot. I think he's developed quite a bit. He's been consistent. He's taken on some challenges from week to week. He's done a good job out there."