AZTECS NOTEBOOK : Kicking Duel Begins For Game with BYU

Freshman kicker Peter Holt said being on the sidelines in front of more than 52,000 fans at Saturday’s game between San Diego State and USC sent chills down his spine.

He might need a little ice in his veins should Aztec Coach Al Luginbill use him against Brigham Young on Thursday.

On Sunday, Luginbill told Holt, a true freshman, he was on the traveling squad after senior Andy Trakas--SDSU’s kicker of three years--shanked a 30-yard field-goal attempt with 58 seconds left and missed again from 55 yards with three seconds left.

Luginbill commissioned a duel Monday between Trakas and Holt for what now appears to be an open job. Each attempted three game-situation field goals from roughly 30 yards on the first day of what will be a three-day trial. Each made two.

“Right now what we need is a guy who can make a 30-yarder,” Luginbill said Sunday. “I’m not into 50 yarders. I just want 30s.”

Trakas apparently forced Luginbill’s hand, because he had also missed three field goals in a 1990 loss to Miami. And last year, he missed a 41-yard attempt in a 52-52 tie against BYU and an extra-point attempt in a 21-20 loss at Air Force.

Holt was surprised Sunday when Fred Edwards, his dorm roommate, told him Luginbill called to say the kicker would practice with the varsity this week. For Holt, this is his first chance to win the job.

“Right now I’m trying to get used to it,” said Holt, who expected to redshirt this season. “The one I missed today, I felt I rushed it a little. I’ll be better tomorrow.”

“Both made some and missed some,” said Luginbill. “We’ll take two more days to look at them.”

About boosting Trakas’ confidence, Luginbill said, “There’s nothing I can do. (His shank against USC) is not being talked about.”

Holt is not shy about the opportunity. He stayed on the practice field with a pile of balls and tried about 30 extra kicks after his teammates had left. As Holt kicked, Luginbill talked to reporters just a few feet away.

“I’m real confident,” said Holt, who made seven of 15 field-goal attempts as a high school senior last year--four from 47 yards or farther. “You always have to have good self-esteem in this business.

“I really wanted to give (Trakas) a push. But I also had the mind set that this would be my building year. Andy was the starter, and he needed to get ready for the games.”

Holt, 5 feet 10, 170 pounds, showed he could boom it in high school, making field goals from 52, 50 and 47 (twice) yards last year. He was wide left by a yard on a 57-yard attempt and hit the cross bar on a 53-yarder into a head wind. He made 13 of 14 conversion attempts. Holt said he would have been perfect in that department had it not been for a 60 m.p.h. wind on his one miss.

But Luginbill would be satisfied with somebody who can tap one in from 30 when the pressure is on. Holt said he had butterflies Saturday at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, but not the kind that cause footballs to flutter.

Aztec punter Scott Oatsvall got some words of encouragement from Charger punter John Kidd, as did Trakas from Charger kicker John Carney Sunday. Kidd and Carney visited their collegiate counterparts at SDSU’s film session after the Chargers lost to Kansas City, 24-10.

“They’re super nice guys and they’ve been very supportive,” said Oatsvall, a senior who punted nine times for a 37.4 average in his Aztecs debut against USC. His longest netted 47 yards. His one mistake was a 16-yard shank out of the end zone that led to USC’s first touchdown.

“I made a mistake, but I’m glad I got that one out of the way,” Oatsvall said. “I learned from it.”