AZTECS : Strong Safety Johnson In Accident, Out for Season

The San Diego State football team, its title hopes riding on a 4-1 Western Athletic Conference record and strong defensive performances, was dealt a blow Monday.

The Aztecs lost starting strong safety Chris Johnson for the season to a freak arm injury. Johnson, a junior, severely slashed his left forearm at home while moving a glass table for his mother Sunday evening.

SDSU trainer Brian Barry said Johnson severed tendons near his wrist when the table shattered after being dropped. Johnson had surgery late Sunday, then called teammate Darrell Lewis with the news. Lewis relayed the message to coaches.

“He’s got a severe injury,” said Aztec Coach Al Luginbill, who got the news at 10:30 p.m. Sunday. “I feel sorry for Chris. He’s down. It’s a loss to us. But, like anything else, you go on.”

Johnson, 6 feet, 195 pounds, played at Crawford High. He was SDSU’s third leading tackler and ranked sixth in the WAC. Luginbill said Johnson was having his best year.

“He talked to me after the surgery,” said Lewis. “I can’t describe (the injury) too much. He just had a freak accident. It turned out to be a lot worse than he expected.”

Lewis gave the message to secondary coach Ron Mims, who passed the bad news to Luginbill.

SDSU now has lost three starters to season-ending injuries. Two--Johnson and defensive end Tyrone Morrison (torn knee ligament)--started for a defensive unit that allowed an average of 30.4 points per game through five games. However the unit has yielded an average of 15.0 in its last two games.

“I feel bad for Chris Johnson, because he’s had a real fine year,” said Mims. “He’s been in the program four years now, and he’s taken his lumps and come a long way. And this didn’t even happen on the field.”

Morrison went down in practice several weeks ago when teammate La’Roi Glover accidentally rolled into the side of his leg. Senior guard Joe Heinz suffered a broken fibula and a slight tear of a ligament in his left ankle Saturday in the Colorado State game when running back Marshall Faulk ran into Heinz, who was being pushed backward.

Barry said Heinz has a slight chance to return for a bowl game. But Barry, who provided few specifics about Johnson’s injury, said Johnson cannot return until spring workouts.

The defensive backfield had been a trouble spot for the Aztecs. But this year they came in with some depth. Redshirt freshman John McCartney, who played at Lincoln and faced Johnson (then a quarterback/linebacker) in high school, is the backup free safety. He will get a shot at the position.