Freshman kicker has a leg up.

Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard

Mike Bellotti wanted to know how the kid would handle the pressures of being a college placekicker.

Who better to call on, then, than the guy who handled those pressures as well as anyone in the history of Oregon football. And once Nathan Villegas vouched for Daniel Padilla, Bellotti was convinced.

"Nathan told me this young man has what it takes to do it, not just the physical skills but the mental toughness," Bellotti said. "That obviously was a huge vote of confidence in my mind."

Despite being a true freshman, Padilla spent the first two days of this week practicing with the group of veterans who work out earlier in the day under Oregon's split-squad format to open fall camp. The player thought to be his main competition for the placekicking job, Matt Evensen, started out with the newcomers later in the day before switching with Padilla on Wednesday, so that both can work with all possible combinations of holders and snappers, Bellotti said.

The coach has yet to anoint his starter, but he has said since the spring that Padilla is a leading candidate. He was impressed by the Corona, Calif., native's size - 6-foot-1, 210 pounds - and his athleticism, given Padilla's background as a soccer player.

Then there was Padilla's relationship with Villegas, Oregon's placekicker in 1998 and 1999. That first season, Villegas made 20-of-22 field goals and all 57 of his extra points, setting a school single-season scoring record of 117 points that still stands.

Villegas met Padilla in the summer of 2006, when Corona High School hired him to coach kickers.

"Back then, I didn't know who Nathan Villegas was, I didn't know his history," Padilla said. "I just got introduced to this little short guy, and he asked me, 'Can you kick?' I was like, 'yeah, I think I can.' The next day we started working, and ever since he's been helping me out."

Now, Padilla said, "he's like a big brother to me."

Villegas recalls being impressed by Padilla's size and calm demeanor. Then he saw the converted soccer player kick, which Padilla had only begun doing midway through his junior year.

"I was very impressed," Villegas said. "He hadn't had much coaching before I saw him, and he's got God-given talent. I've kind of coached him up a little bit, but you can't just teach anybody how to kick. They've got to know how to do it a little, and he did. It came pretty natural to him."

Over the past year, Villegas has tried to maintain that natural rhythm, even as Padilla has improved his range. The goal, Villegas said, is for the leg action of a 50-yard field goal to feel as effortless as an extra point.

"He's got a great swing," Villegas said. "When you watch him kick, he doesn't have to try to kick the ball. You look at a lot of kickers, and they're tense. He's got a nice, smooth swing. He doesn't look stressed."

Villegas said Corona spent minimal practice time on special teams before he arrived. Last fall, he carved out 30 minutes a day for special teams, giving Padilla chances to work with his snapper and holder.

He tried to replicate game situations, so Padilla wouldn't be rattled when the real thing came around.

"That's why I did so well, because it was repetitive, so it got so normal that it didn't feel like a big deal when it came down to the game," Villegas said.

The two built such a strong relationship that it continued after Padilla left Corona for Oregon earlier this year to join the Ducks for voluntary summer workouts. They talked this past Sunday before the opening of fall camp the next day, and again early Monday.

"I talked to him right before practice," said Padilla, who admitted to being nervous that first day. "He said, 'Remember what I taught you. Be confident in yourself and keep working hard.' He helped me a lot with the mental part of the game."

Padilla seems to be something of a perfectionist, so Villegas has worked with Padilla to keep his confidence high even after a miss.

Last fall, Padilla had a string of made kicks to start the season broken when he missed because of a bad snap. He only missed one the rest of the year, going 14-of-16 on field goals and making all 44 of his extra points.

"I was on the sidelines when he missed his first kick. ... He was a little upset," Villegas said. "I calmed him down and said, 'Hey, you're going to get another chance. You're going to get back out there and do something.' He went out there and nailed the next one."

Villegas had some experience to draw on. His only two misses of 1998 came against Washington, but he rallied to make his last attempt that day. He was eventually named a finalist for the Lou Groza Award as the nation's best kicker that year.

Today, Villegas planned to be in Eugene to watch Padilla. He has assured his charge that Bellotti will give him a fair shot at winning the job but wants the best player on the field regardless of who it is.

Villegas, obviously, has his preference.

"Starting as a freshman," he said of the player he mentored for a year, "would be great."

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