With the graduation of SMU punter/kicker Matt Szymanski, Mike Loftus is widely considered the heir apparent for both jobs. Loftus is competing with Matt Stone, who punted six times in Szymanski’s place during the 2010 season, but headed into spring workouts with no competition for the placekicking job.

Robert Mojica is expanding his résumé this spring by adding kicking to his duties as a defensive back (photo by David Mojica).

That’s no longer the case. Brian Farkas, a former SMU soccer player, is back to take a crack at the job, and now defensive back Robert Mojica is working out as a kicker (in addition to his normal defensive duties) this spring.

In case anyone thinks Mojica’s kicking audition is an indication of someone suffering from a momentary lapse of reason, remember that this is hardly the first time he has used his feet. Mojica also was a high school soccer star, earning All-Trinity League, all-county and All-CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) honors as a forward for Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif. Mojica is so versatile — he also played center field for Mater Dei’s baseball team and ran several sprints on the school track team — that he was named his school’s Male Athlete of the Year, beating out much-ballyhooed quarterback Matt Barkley, who now lines up under center at USC. The same year Mojica was named Male Athlete of the Year, Sports Illustrated named Mater Dei the No. 1 sports high school in the country.

The idea, Mojica said, originated in December.

“A couple of weeks before the bowl game, Chris Banjo and some of the other guys were messing around, kicking field goals,” Mojica said. “I did, too, and I hit it pretty good. I was a little surprised, because it had been a while. I think that first one I hit was about 40 yards.

“After that, I asked Matt Szymanski to go out and kick with me, and Mike Loftus and (Marcelo) Sada. Eventually I got up to about 53 yards.”

Mojica originally walked on in 2008 before earning a scholarship because of his versatility on defense, where is plays as an extra defensive back in nickel situations, and on special teams.

A multi-sport star at Mater Dei High Schol in Santa Ana, Calif., Mojica developed his kicking power on the soccer field (photo by David Mojica).

“I was thinking that (kicking) might help me keep the scholarship, since they’re a year-by-year thing,” he said. “It basically adds a little value to my résumé.”

“(Former SMU kicker Thomas) Morstead showed me some things, about my steps, and just developing a tempo and balance. I was just stepping up and hitting it, but he told me about the science of kicking.”

Many kickers, like Mojica, also have played soccer, but kicking a football and a soccer ball involve different motions. Kicking a soccer ball usually involves some lateral rotation around the outside of the ball that causes the ball to “bend” in flight; in football, kickers generally want to drive straight through the bottom of the ball so the ball flies straight with only the end-over-end rotation of a golf ball off the tee. Mojica, who hasn’t kicked a football in a game since he was in the eighth grade.

“The adjustment to kicking a football isn’t that hard — I just need to get out and do it,” Mojica said. “ guess I have always had that ability to whip my hips around. That’s what makes you powerful, and lets you kick really far.”

Mojica started kicking last week, and after taking a few days off because of a sore groin, will do so for the rest of the Ponies’ spring practices, which end Saturday. The majority of the Mustangs arrive at practice field in time to start at 7 a.m.; by then, the kickers already have been at it for a half an hour.

“I’ll kick for the rest of spring, what’s left of it,” Mojica said. “It’s nice getting up that early. I have played DB in high school and since I got here, and this is just fun. I haven’t done it since eighth grade, so it’s almost like doing something new.

“The difference is, it’s not something new. I have always been able to kick. I’ll keep working at it over the summer, and we’ll see how I’m doing next fall. But I’m enjoying it.”