Wagner Runs Late, But Hard Once He Finds His Way to El Paso

Add another chapter to the misadventures of San Diego State running back Darrin Wagner.

Wagner, the Aztecs’ often wayward running back, missed the team charter flight Friday morning from San Diego.

Wagner did not arrive in El Paso until about 12:30 Saturday afternoon after taking a commercial flight from San Diego.

He showed no signs of jet lag, rushing for a career-high 193 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries in a 34-31 victory over Texas El Paso.

Wagner said he missed the flight because he missed a team bus to the airport at 9 a.m. Friday. He said he overslept and had several errands to run before leaving, including some classroom responsibilities.

Coach Al Luginbill said he allowed Wagner to play because Wagner missed the flight because of some academic matters Wagner had to attend to before leaving San Diego.

“It was a miscommunication,” Luginbill said. “If it was anything other than that he would not have played.”

Two weeks ago, Wagner was suspended from playing in a, 30-26, nonconference victory over Cal State Long Beach October 14 after missing practice earlier that week.

These incidents are the latest in Wagner’s SDSU career. Wagner quit the team last November in a dispute with the staff of then coach Denny Stolz and transferred to Nebraska. But he left Nebraska after about three weeks and returned to SDSU. He also missed several practices during preseason camp to attend to what he said were personal matters.

Wagner entered the game as the team’s leading scorer with 10 touchdowns and second leading rusher with 528 yards on 107 carries.