USF starting right guard Zach Hermann will miss Saturday's game against Louisville with a neck injury, coach Jim Leavitt said after Wednesday's practice.

Hermann missed last week's loss at Rutgers, with right tackle Jake Sims taking his spot at guard and redshirt freshman Mark Popek making his second career start at right tackle. Leavitt said the team hasn't decided how its starting offensive line will look; junior Jamar Bass is another possibility to take Hermann's spot in the lineup.

And while Hermann is out, Leavitt is optimistic that most of the players injured in the Rutgers loss will be able to play against Louisville. He said junior Carlton Mitchell, the team's leading receiver, "might not" play as he recovers from a high ankle sprain suffered against West Virginia.

Leavitt said linebacker Chris Robinson, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and defensive tackle Aaron Harris all practiced Wednesday and are expected to play.

-- Leavitt said he may make a change on punt returns after sophomore Faron Hornes muffed a return in Rutgers territory. Leavitt said Hornes could keep the job, but he's also looking at receivers Patrick Richardson and Theo Wilson, safety Nate Allen and running back Lindsey Lamar as possible options.

-- Leavitt said junior running back Jamar Taylor, who has just two carries in the last two games, has been limited by knee soreness. Taylor missed the first six games with a knee sprain, and in retrospect, Leavitt now wishes he hadn't brought Taylor back and let him redshirt this season. Taylor had five carries in the Pittsburgh loss, but has barely played in the last two games.

"I feel bad about it," Leavitt said. "If I would have known it would have been re-aggravated like this, I wouldn't have played him. That's on me. I had to make a decision. He was running around, looking like a million bucks."