SDSU’s Wagner Again Missing From Practice

The saga of San Diego State running back Darrin Wagner took another twist Wednesday when he failed to attend an afternoon football practice.

When reached Wednesday night by a university official, Wagner issue the following statement:

“I was off campus earlier today, and the ride I expected to get me back in time for practice did not show up,” Wagner was quoted as saying by John Rosenthal, sports information director. “I could not get ahold of anyone at that time (to explain the absence).”

It was the second time this season that Wagner, the team’s leading rusher and scorer, missed practice without permission.

Wagner did not attend an Aug. 21 workout because he said he had to attend to personal matters. He returned to the team the next day.

Wagner, a red-shirt freshman from Lincoln High School, attended but did not practice Tuesday because of bruises to his knee and body sustained in a 31-24 loss at Hawaii Saturday night.

Rosenthal said Coach Al Luginbill would not comment on any possible disciplinary action until he had an opportunity to meet with Wagner, probably today.

The absence was the latest in a series of problems that began when Wagner quit the team last November after a disagreement with Denny Stolz’s coaching staff. He transferred to Nebraska in January.

But Wagner remained at Nebraska for only a few weeks before returning to SDSU and its new coach, Luginbill.

Wagner is the Aztecs’ leading rusher with 424 yards and nine touchdowns on 88 carries. He also has nine catches for 123 yards and one touchdown. His 10 touchdowns leads the team.