PITTSBURGH — Pitt is paying Gardner-Webb a hefty six-figure sum for the privilege of playing at Heinz Field on Saturday.

The Panthers certainly hope the Runnin’ Bulldogs are considerably nicer to their hosts than the last Football Championship Subdivision opponent to stop by.

Pitt opened the Paul Chryst era three weeks ago with a stunning 31-17 loss to Youngstown State that was as out of character as it was one-sided. The Panthers couldn’t stay on the field on offense, couldn’t get off it on defense and appeared a step slow all night against a program that appears ready to return to FCS relevance.

How quickly things have changed. The same team that looked outclassed all over the place during its first-ever loss to an FCS program beat up then 13th-ranked Virginia Tech last weekend behind big plays from quarterback Tino Sunseri and the running back duo of Ray Graham and Rushel Shell.

“They’ve gotten back to the Pitt team that everybody expected coming into the year,” Gardner-Webb coach Ron Dickerson Jr. said. “That win (over) Virginia Tech was big for them and they played well. Anytime Virginia Tech made mistakes, (Pitt) capitalized on them.”

Not exactly the greatest news for the Runnin’ Bulldogs (0-3), who have been largely uncompetitive in three games against FCS schools. Pitt (1-2) represents a significant step up in class, though the $470,000 payday should help soften the blow. Dickerson Jr. is not unfamiliar with the competition level, though that probably won’t affect the outcome. His father, Ron Sr., was the coach at Temple from 1993-97.

The money is Pitt’s way of saying thanks after West Virginia and TCU opted to play in the Big 12 this season instead of the Big East. Temple was brought back into the Big East fold to bulk up the numbers, but that still left the Panthers searching for a second game in late spring. Gardner-Webb was the first school to return Pitt’s call.

Though it appears Gardner-Webb is overmatched, Chryst insists his team remains wary. The sting of the loss to Youngstown State is still pretty fresh, even if beating the Hokies certainly helped ease the pain.

“The focus is on you and your team and how you can get better and you have to respect the game,” Chryst said. “I think every week you go about it the same way and I think more over time they understand but you have to be consistent.”

Pitt appeared to finally grasp the fundamentals of Chryst’s dynamic and physical system against the Hokies. The Panthers controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage, particularly on offense, opening up holes to give Graham and Shell plenty of room to operate.

They responded by piling up a combined 251 yards on the ground, with Graham scoring three total touchdowns. Having a pair of backs like Graham — the shifty senior — and Shell — the hard-running freshman — is a luxury. Finding a way to make sure they each get enough work can be tricky, though Chryst proved adept at using a multiple-back system while serving as offensive coordinator at Wisconsin, where Montee Ball, John Clay and James White all rushed for at least 996 yards in 2010.

To be honest, Chryst isn’t quite sure how things will shake down on a given Saturday. At this point he believes his backfield is more concerned with winning than with numbers.

“This isn’t just lip service, but the thing that is encouraging to me is they both can get better,” he said. “How it plays out in the game, I really couldn’t tell you. We’ve got to keep bringing everyone along.”

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Follow Will Graves at www.twitter.com/WillGravesAP