Kicker Learning to Reach His Goal : Aztecs: Andy Trakas’ refocused concentration has improved his performance.

Video-cassette recorders all over the nation are put to use each week during “Growing Pains,” one of the most popular shows on television.

A few weeks ago, San Diego State freshman kicker Andy Trakas gave his parents’ VCR quite a workout because of his own growing pains. Attempting to recover some missing mechanics, Trakas watched so much film of himself in action at a summer kicking camp that he broke the remote control.

“It’s still messed up,” Trakas said.

But maybe, for the first time all season, Trakas isn’t.

It happens every fall. Hotshot high school football players become college freshmen and suddenly, the talent pool is a little larger. They are surrounded by equals in size, speed and ability. And they are forced to adjust.

“Like most of our freshmen, this year’s group was confident and cocky,” SDSU Coach Al Luginbill said. “Most of them have had extreme success. I like that in a football player.

“With Andy, he has to put up before he talks. He got out in front a little with his mouth, and he didn’t back it up. Our expectation is that we will make 80% of our field goals.”

Midway through the Aztecs’ season, they have barely made 50%--Trakas has connected on seven of 13 attempts (53.8%). But after starting the season by hitting just three of his first seven, he has been successful on four of the past six.

And he is coming off his best game of the season. Against Cal State Long Beach Saturday, Trakas made three of four field goal attempts, hitting from 29, 49 and 43 yards and missing from 30.

It was the 49-yarder, though, that showed signs of Trakas’ coming of age. It came with 11:41 remaining in the third quarter and gave SDSU a 13-10 lead.

“I didn’t know we were 49 yards back,” Trakas said. “I just went back there and picked my spot. I thought we were going to punt. I was sitting on the sidelines when I heard Coach Luginbill yelling for the field goal team. I’m glad he has enough confidence in me to kick from long distances.”

Trakas hasn’t made the smooth adjustment to college football that he envisioned. A year ago, he was the talk of the county while at Patrick Henry High School, an all-San Diego Section first-team pick. In the annual San Diego County-Los Angeles County All-Star game this summer, he made three of three field goal attempts.

Then it was time to go to SDSU.

One of the biggest changes a kicker now faces going from high school to college is that he must kick field goals and extra points off the ground instead of a tee. The rule eliminating the tee was instituted before this season.

Know what? Trakas kicked the ball off the ground in that San Diego-Los Angeles All-Star game. His field goals were from 44, 38 and 29 yards. No problem. He came to SDSU confident and cocky. He was ready for the big time.

Or so he thought.

In SDSU’s first game, against Air Force, Trakas made a 22-yard field goal but missed a chip-shot 23-yarder. He also missed an extra point attempt for the first time in his life.

“After the game, I was thinking, ‘What’s going on here?’ ” Trakas said.

What was going on was that Trakas wasn’t very comfortable. He had picked up some bad habits. So before SDSU’s second game, against UCLA, Trakas tried to start from scratch in practice. He had Dave Ohton, the kicking coach, watch his mechanics. He had an old friend come to practice to watch him kick.

And he watched the films of himself kicking this summer until his parents’ VCR broke down.

“They didn’t care,” he said. “As long as I got straightened out.”

Trakas made a 26-yarder against UCLA. But two weeks later, at Utah, Trakas reached his low point--one for three on field goals, missing from 30 and 44 yards and making one from 26. And his poor field goal showing was affecting other parts of his game. Finally, after he kicked off to the middle of the field instead of to the right hash mark as ordered, Luginbill pulled him and had senior Tom Wurth kick off.

“I wanted to create some competition,” Luginbill said.

Said Trakas: “It bummed me out because I let myself down. But I knew I would get another chance to prove myself.”

That came the next week, Oct. 7, in Hawaii. Trakas rebounded that night, and Luginbill said he noticed a change. By the end of that game, Trakas was kicking off again as well as kicking field goals.

“I changed a lot in Hawaii,” Trakas said. “It was a real shock with all of those crazy, screaming Hawaiian people. It was the first time in my life, I was actually scared. But I decided to take things into my own hands. I’m the only one who is going to make a difference.”

He began by missing an attempt from 26 yards, his first of the game.

“I said, ‘Man, I don’t want to feel like that again,’ ” he said.

He later made a 34-yard attempt, an important confidence booster.

“That was probably the biggest pressure kick of my life,” he said. “I had to prove to myself I had enough (guts).”

Ironically, it was on a missed 47-yard attempt that Luginbill said he noticed the change.

“He really banged that ball,” Luginbill said. “He just missed to the right, but it would have been good from 55 yards.”

That led to another adjustment. Trakas said that since the Hawaii game, he has attempted to improve his concentration in practice. He treats practice kicks as game situations.

“This whole step to major college football has been overwhelming,” he said. “It’s like you get hit across the head with a two-by-four--the reality of Division I football. It’s a different world up here. Everything is quicker, and it takes awhile to adjust. Every game, I’m learning lessons. I’m starting to feel more comfortable.

“(Earlier) I was so mixed up I lost focus. School was a real shock. And there are some of the most incredible women in the world walking around this dang campus. And there are parties all over the place. I have to keep myself focused on what I’m doing at this time of my life or I’ll see myself swirling down the toilet.”

Right now, as his world has hit overdrive, Trakas has realized he has to slow it down.

“I made goals for myself coming in, but I realize now that my No. 1 goal has to be to work hard and do my best on every kick--whether it’s a kickoff or field goal,” Trakas said. “If I do that, I won’t have anything to worry about. That’s the best goal I’ve ever set for myself.”