Deliberation Works Well for Punter

Punter Mike MacGillivray attributed his big turnaround Saturday to slowing down his motion after a film session and meeting with special teams coach Shawn Slocum.

“Obviously, I was disappointed with the way I played the first four games. I was a lot better in training camp,” said MacGillivray, who averaged 50.6 yards a kick against Arizona after managing only 35.6 yards the first four.

“Coach Slocum had been talking about tempo, and I thought he meant go faster, and he just meant smooth--one fluid motion.

“I got going way too fast, and was barely seeing the ball when I kicked it. We looked at the film and he told me to slow down.”

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Tailback Malaefou MacKenzie is expected to return Saturday after sitting out the last four games because of a hamstring injury.

But the question of whether he could have returned against Arizona--when USC rushed for minus 20 yards--is up in the air.

Coach Paul Hackett said MacKenzie didn’t travel as a precaution because of his injury, but MacKenzie thought he was left home because of minor rules violation when he did not dress as expected at a previous game.

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Injuries on the offensive line mean a couple of freshmen who were scheduled to redshirt are getting closer to being called on: Lenny Vandermade is now a backup guard--though Travis Claridge could also fill in at his old position--and Norm Katnik has replaced Vandermade as the No. 3 center.

“I’d still like to be able to redshirt them,” offensive line coach Steve Greatwood said. “Right now, we’re focusing on winning games.”

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Receiver R. Jay Soward was held out of practice Tuesday after suffering a concussion in Saturday’s loss to Arizona, but is scheduled to practice today. . . . Zeke Moreno, USC’s leading tackler, has been added to the watch list for the Butkus Award, awarded annually to the best college linebacker.