Referee Ron Cherry hurt during Notre Dame-USC game

LOS ANGELES (AP) Referee Ron Cherry has left No. 12 Southern California's game against Notre Dame after getting accidentally hit by a player late in the third

LOS ANGELES (AP) Referee Ron Cherry has left No. 12 Southern California's game against Notre Dame after getting accidentally hit by a player late in the third quarter.

USC linebacker Michael Hutchings ran into Cherry behind the play after the Trojans sacked Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer on third down. Cherry dropped straight to the turf after his head made contact with Hutchings' helmet, and the official appeared to be out cold.

Medical personnel from both teams rushed to Cherry's side. The referee sat up after a few minutes and slowly walked to the locker room with help.

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Cherry is a longtime Atlantic Coast Conference official. He is best known for his distinctive speaking voice and a viral penalty call from a 2007 Maryland-North Carolina game in which he described a penalty with the phrase: ''He was giving him the business.''

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