Hole in Wall’s Game Eliminates Kicker

USC Coach Paul Hackett said he won’t decide on a starting kicker until later this week, but Thursday he announced that one candidate has dropped out of the running.

Freshman John Wall has been eliminated from consideration, leaving front-runner David Newbury and David Bell to fight for the position.

Wall is expected to redshirt and rejoin the battle next spring.

“There are a couple of things about John Wall I really like--his temperament being relaxed, being confident--but he just hasn’t been able to perform the actual physical kicking part as well as we would like,” Hackett said.

Newbury has put up the most consistent performances in practice and converted seven of 10 field-goal attempts in two scrimmages.

“Clearly, Newbury is in the lead and is going to get the reps with the first group,” Hackett said. “We’re going to have a chance to digest it all on Sunday, and Monday we’ll make a decision and give a two-deep.”

Said Newbury: “I feel confident. I feel like I’ve had a much better camp than I had last year. I feel like I’ve been more consistent and more dependable, which is what they need me to be.

“[But] I guess we’re all kind of anxious to find out.”

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Tailback Malaefou MacKenzie, who cut his left hand in a freak accident during the first play of Wednesday’s scrimmage, returned to practice Thursday and said he felt fine.

“The coaches said I could have gone back in after they stitched me up,” said MacKenzie, who slashed his hand on a defender’s helmet. “But they just wanted to save me for Penn State.”

Doctors are expected to remove the stitches in about four days. MacKenzie, who rushed seven times for 35 yards in USC’s first scrimmage, said he didn’t think the injury would set him back.

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One player who continues to stand out is punter Mike MacGillivray, one of the top performers in both scrimmages.

“After looking back at the tape, I thought Mike MacGillivray hit a couple of good ones,” Hackett said. “He had a 48- and a 47-[yarder] with 4.0 hang time. What he didn’t do was boom it like he did Saturday [when he averaged 53 yards a punt], but he kicked pretty well.”

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An issue that concerned Hackett after viewing tape of Wednesday’s scrimmage was the first-team defense’s penchant for giving up big plays.

“[The defense] also forced some significant turnovers,” Hackett said, “but the thing that was disturbing was it gave up big plays for two scrimmages in a row. We’re going to have to focus on it and zero in on it because we’re not going to have a chance to scrimmage anymore. The second group, I thought, did well. They kept [the offense] to all field goals.”

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Hackett said the Trojans will start to scale back their practice schedule from now until the season opener Aug. 27. “Now we’ve got to let their bodies come back,” he said. “I think we have plenty of time, but we have to be conscious of it as well.” . . . Hackett, concerned about the health of starting tight end Antoine Harris (sore hamstring), said he may hold the senior out of practice until Monday. “We just have to give him a chance to get well,” Hackett said. . . . Hackett called redshirt freshman Joe Boskovich and senior Ifeanyi Ohalete “the lead crew” at snapper and holder but added that Bernard Riley and Mike Van Raaphorst would continue to get work at the positions. . . . If Bell loses the battle for kicker, he likely will still be utilized on kickoffs, where Hackett said he “looks to be ahead.”