Why didn't Lucky Sutton play for San Diego State against James Madison?

The San Diego State Aztecs were without star running back Lucky Sutton when they were beaten 26-13 on Saturday night by a superior James Madison squad that had to travel across the country for the matchup at Snapdragon Stadium.

Although backup Javion Kinnard responded with a sensational all-around performance when pressed into duty, there are lingering questions about Sutton's “lower-body” injury that won’t easily go away as the Aztecs prepare for a trip to the Midwest to face Toledo in their final non-conference game.

What Sean Lewis said about Lucky Sutton before the game

Sutton went through warmups but then stood on the sideline the entire game, leaving fans to wonder what was really going on.

It was reported during the week that the senior had a “lower-body” injury, but no other information was forthcoming. Lewis then indicated to the San Diego Union-Tribune that all was good with Sutton, literally.

“He’s good. Just getting a little veteran’s rest. He’s good to go. He will be fine,” the coach told the newspaper.

Well, he wasn’t fine enough to play. Whether Lewis was just being overly optimistic or trying to guard state secrets will never be known.

Lewis said on the postgame radio show that Sutton was “battling an injury. It was a game-time decision and he wasn’t able to go.”

Lewis said Sutton will rehab during the week and “hopefully” be able to play against Toledo next Saturday.

“Hopefully” isn’t exactly encouraging when it describes the bell-cow running back who led the Mountain West with 1,297 yards last season, before the Aztecs moved into the Pac-12.

During his regular postgame news conference, Lewis said that the decision to sit Sutton was made with “feedback from him and feedback that he was giving us by how he looked. He got a little dinged in the UCLA game and we've been managing it throughout the course of the week. It was going to be a game-time decision about it all and just he wasn't ready. He wasn't able. You know, he wanted to but couldn't.”

That must be some kind of ding to keep Sutton off the field. He’s motivated to have a better season than his breakout junior campaign in 2025, and now there are questions about whether he’ll be able to play in SDSU’s final tuneup before opening Pac-12 play against Texas State at home on Oct. 3.

Why Lucky Sutton's injury matters for San Diego State

Sutton came into this season as the most-heralded player on SDSU’s roster.

He was named to the watch list for the two player of the year awards as well as the Doak Walker Award, which goes to the nation’s most outstanding running back. He was also a first-team All-Pac-12 pick by several publications.

But after three games, he’s sitting at 139 yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries.

Kinnard showed the talent the Aztecs have been raving about since he transferred from Colorado State. He ran 33 times for a career-best 181 yards and one touchdown, and caught four passes for 70 yards.

“I think the two of them when they're both healthy is a pretty tremendous one-two combo that we can lean on pretty heavily,” Lewis said.

Up next

The Aztecs make their farthest trip of the season on Saturday to face Toledo of the Mid-American Conference. Kickoff is at 9 a.m. PT.

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