Through Pitt’s first four games, one thing has been constant in an otherwise inconsistent season. The Panthers play better in the second half.

However, when Pitt travels to South Florida to take on the 10th-ranked Bulls tonight in a nationally televised game on ESPN, if it doesn’t start early it may not have a chance to close late.

Through its first four games, Pitt (3-1, 1-0 Big East) has outscored its opponents 35-10 in the fourth quarter.

In its past two games, against Iowa and Syracuse, Pitt trailed after the third quarter, but manufactured a win with ball control offense and big plays on defense.

Against Iowa, Pitt’s defense came alive late in the game. With less than five minutes left, Pitt’s defensive front recorded two sacks and recovered a fumble that sealed the win for the Panthers.

“In the fourth quarter, our guys have been able to shut down our opponents’ playmakers,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “We’re in good shape, so conditioning is certainly a factor. Against Iowa, they were trying to throw the ball and we knew that, and our guys made the necessary adjustments.”

At Syracuse, again the defense made a big play late to preserve Pitt’s third straight win. Leading 27-24 with 8:05 left and Syracuse driving, Greg Romeus sacked Syracuse quarterback Cam Dantley causing a fumble that Pitt’s Jabaal Sheard recovered.

“We were very fortunate to win that game,” Wannstedt said. “It came down to the second half and our guys not coming unglued, staying with the plan. Nobody panicked.”

Romeus feels Pitt’s defense is built for second-half success.

“I think the defense knows we need to step it up at the end of the game. We put it on our shoulders,” he said. “All offseason we conditioned for all four quarters. We know from start to finish, even if we don’t start off as well as we want to, towards the end we have to finish strong.”

Pitt’s defense better show up in the second half. Last year against South Florida, quarterback Matt Grothe ran for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half to give the Bulls a lead that they did not relinquish in a 48-37 win.

Stopping Grothe tonight will be paramount to Pitt’s success against South Florida (5-0, 0-0 Big East).

Grothe has the ability to expose a defense with both his arm and his legs.

Last year he was one of three players in the country to throw for 2,500 yards and rush for 800.

One of the others was Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.

“He’s not only a quarterback, he’s an athlete, and that’s what hurts a lot of teams,” linebacker Shane Murray said. “He’s so elusive that he can get away from tackles, and he also has a good arm. It’s going to be a battle out there because we know how good he is.”

This year Grothe leads the Big East in passing yards per game (235) and total offense per game (278.8).

As a unit, South Florida’s offense produces 464 yards of total offense and scores 36 points per game. Pitt’s defensive depth up front and conditioning has been key in its second-half success, and it should help to contain a deep South Florida backfield. The Bulls have four running backs with 30 or more carries this year.

Wannstedt is optimistic that Pitt’s depth up front will combat South Florida’s running backs late in the game.

“With it being hot down there, we’re going to need all those guys,” he said. “Our defensive line, I’m hoping, it could be a good game for them because of our depth.”

Come-from-behind wins are good for team morale, and any win is a good win, but if Pitt falls behind South Florida, as it did in its past three games, there might not be a chance for last quarter heroics.

Linebacker Scott McKillop knows that the Panthers need to jump on South Florida early to ensure they will have a chance to bury the Bulls late.

“If we go out there and start slowly, we’ll be down real quick,” he said. “It will be an ugly game real fast. We’re playing as fast (in the fourth quarter) as we were in the first quarter. There’s no let down in our effort and execution, we’re getting comfortable in the fourth quarter. Now we need to do that in the first quarter, start out a little faster than we did this past week.”

Murray thinks that it’s by coincidence that the Panthers have started slow, but he also knows that a lethargic start will inhibit Pitt from showing its second-half prowess.

“It’s just something that happens, you start slow and then you pick it up, but we can’t do that against South Florida,” he said. “If they get up early on teams it’s hard to come back on them.

“They’ll pick you apart with their spread offense. If you get behind this team it really kills momentum and Coach Wannstedt says you can either be a momentum maker or a momentum breaker, so we want to start out fast and finish fast.”