He Wants to Put the Boot to Irish

They stand half a field apart, but punters and punt returners can feel as if they are going head-to-head.

“If the guy breaks a long return,” USC punter Mike MacGillivray said, “I take it personally.”

MacGillivray and the Trojans’ shaky punt coverage team has suffered that fate often this season and things won’t get easier Saturday when No. 11 Notre Dame comes to the Coliseum. Irish returner Joey Getherall is averaging more than 16 yards and has two returns for touchdowns.

MacGillivray and Getherall have a rivalry that dates to when they were at Loyola and Bishop Amat high schools.

“He’s like a cat,” MacGillivray said. “Whether I kick it away from him or put more hang time on the ball, I’ll try to take him out of his game. I just don’t want him to stand there and catch it.”

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Tailback Malaefou MacKenzie was recruited by Notre Dame when he was at Capistrano Valley High but never bothered to visit the South Bend, Ind., campus.

“Too cold,” he said. “I visited Ohio State and I knew right then Notre Dame wasn’t for me.”

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Senior quarterback Mike Van Raaphorst was one of 16 California students selected to take the first step toward becoming a Rhodes Scholar with a preliminary round of interviews next month.

Van Raaphorst earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism/political science in May and began classes for a master’s degree in business administration this fall.

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Offensive lineman Trevor Roberts had to be carted off the field because of a foot injury. His status is uncertain. Senior center Eric Denmon, who returned from an ankle sprain to play part of the UCLA game, says he can play as much as needed against Notre Dame.