The expression on Pat Julmiste’s face told one side of the story.

“Yup,” Julmiste said as he jogged off the practice field Tuesday after hearing his leg looked good.

But there is a bleaker side to the question of whether Julmiste will be able to play in the Bulls game against South Carolina on Saturday.

USF’s starting quarterback was held out of practice for the second consecutive day Tuesday while backup Ronnie Banks took all the snaps with the first team. Freshman Louis Gachette took snaps with the second team.

“He threw some balls,” coach Jim Leavitt said of Julmiste. “But we’re resting him right now.”

“If he’s 100 percent ready to go then we’ll play him, and if he’s not, then he’s not going to play. It doesn’t matter who you play; you better be 100 percent ready to go. He’s not 100 percent right now,” he said.

Leavitt said he would make a decision today as to whether Julmiste can practice this afternoon.

Banks came in for Julmiste in the second quarter against the Golden Eagles after Julmiste turned his knee on a play near the end zone. Julmiste left the game after he completed 4 of 6 passes for 23 yards and ran for 14 yards. He also ran in a 3-yard touchdown. Banks filled in and completed 9 of 17 passes for 70 yards with an interception.

Leavitt has not given a timetable as to when he will make a decision on who will start against the Gamecocks.

Senior running back Clenton Crossley doesn’t seemed concerned either way.

“It’s all the same to me,” he said. “I’m going to run the ball regardless of who hands it off. It really doesn’t matter.

“They’re both ready. They’ve been rotating all year. They both know what they’re doing. I’m confident with both of the quarterbacks.”

Still sore: Cornerback Mike Jenkins was limited in practice because he has a sore shoulder and neck. Jenkins was involved in a violent hit that left Tennessee Tech Drew Hixon in a drug-induced coma.

Leavitt and the team are still emotionally affected by the incident.

“It rips your heart out, there is no doubt about that,” Leavitt said. “I’ve been in this game a long time and have been around a lot of football games; I played it myself since I was a little guy. It’s a physical ballgame and things can happen. It certainly is not the fault of anybody. We hope that things work out and that he gets through this. That’s just where we’re at with that, there is really nothing else to really say about that.”

Jenkins said he expects to play Saturday.

Quotable: “That’s not surprising to me that (the Gamecocks) are favored. They are a very good team. And the way we played last week wouldn’t lead anybody to believe that we would be successful. But we know as a team where we are,” said Lee Roy Selmon Jr. on being an underdog this week at South Carolina.