Aztecs Scene & Heard: Patience pays off — San Diego’s Lucky Sutton off and running

His first name is an instant icebreaker.

Lucky.

Lucky Sutton has heard all the plays on his name, “Lucky to be here” perhaps more than anything else. That, he is. Lucky, and good. It is talent and work ethic that provided Sutton with the hard-earned opportunity to start in Thursday night’s season opener against Stony Brook.

Sutton had five carries for 35 yards all last season. He had more than that — 7 carries for 48 yards — on SDSU’s opening drive against the Seawolves. That last yard came on a 1-yard touchdown run to open the scoring in SDSU’s 42-0 victory at Snapdragon Stadium.

Sutton nodded his head as he looked up at the SDSU student section and saw thousands of schoolmates nodding back.

Good for him. The Lucky part? That’s another story. It’s appropriate enough, given the circumstances surrounding his birth.

“I couldn’t breathe and I almost didn’t make it,” Sutton said. “That’s how I got my name. … It was dramatic, but it was a blessing. God works in his way.”

He entered the world June 16, 2004, a healthy 10-pound baby. But there was a complication when he was born.

“They put him on a ventilator,” Sutton’s mom Le told the Union-Tribune when he was a senior at Cathedral Catholic High School four years ago. “He didn’t cry, but he couldn’t breathe. He was turning blue. It was scary.”

The worries went away when Lucky took his first breaths moments later.

Sutton breathed life into SDSU’s offense against the Seawolves. The patience waiting his turn the past three seasons paid off. Through two quarters he was closing in on a 100-yard game with 15 carries for 89 yards as the Aztecs built a 20-0 halftime advantage. He added a 2-yard TD in the third quarter, finishing with 22 carries for 100 yards.

Preparing for his first college start, Sutton said he would observe a routine he has followed since high school.

“Visualize an entire 24-hour routine the night before a game,” Sutton said after practice this week.

Sutton said a specific music playlist is an important part of his preparation. The bus ride definitely includes Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” playing through his headphones. The running back kept to himself the title of the song he plays as he takes the field, though Sutton did say, “It’s definitely more of an upbeat, hype song.”

“I visualize the first play because we want to set the tone from the first play,” he said. “I visualize for outcomes of good, bad, ugly, but I think about more good.

“Some of those first plays become other plays throughout the game, so I just keep visualizing the same play over and over again. Different run plays, different pass plays and just try to set the tone.”

Denegal debut

SDSU starting quarterback Jayden Denegal also was making his starting debut in the game.

For a moment, it looked like it was going to be a short shift. On the game’s fourth play, the Michigan transfer got up after a 3-yard rush on a keeper and wobbled off the field on unsteady legs.

He was quickly replaced by backup quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr., who kept the opening possession going long enough for Denegal to shake it off and return to complete a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Sutton’s TD run.

The first thing observers mentioned about the 6-foot-5 Denegal when he arrived this winter was his strong arm. It was on display early with some sideline throws that were on a line. He excited the crowd with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter with his first TD pass as an Aztec — a 25-yard strike to Jacob Bostick in the middle of the end zone for a 14-0 lead. Denegal gave way to Emanuel in the fourth quarter after completing 13 of 25 passes for 208 yards and a TD.

Some QB history

Denegal is the 51st quarterback to start for the Aztecs during their Division I era, dating back to the 11-0 team quarterbacked by Dennis Shaw in 1969.

The best starting debut was by Kevin McKechnie in a 45-31 win over Navy in the 1997 season opener.

McKechnie had a 291.82 efficiency rating, completing 16 of 20 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. He also rushed for a TD.

In 1993, Tim Gutierrez debuted at QB in a 48-17 win over Minnesota, throwing for 375 yards and four TDs.

Only three other quarterbacks have had 300-yard passing games in their SDSU starting debut — Dan McGwire with 361 yards at Air Force In 1989, Ryan Lindley with 352 yards against Cal Poly in 2008 and Jalen Mayden with 322 yards against Hawaii in 2022.

Honor Warrior

Former SDSU wide receiver Bill Hammett (1999-2000) served as the game’s Honor Warrior, leading the Aztecs into the stadium as well as from the midfield tunnel onto the field. Hammett, who now works in the health insurance industry, remained involved with the program for years with the Aztec Football Legacy alumni group. More recently, he has served as Director of Events for Aztec Link, SDSU’s official NIL partner for football.

Honoring Nassen

Video coordinator Gregg Nassen, who spent 22 years with the football program after attending SDSU, was honored with a moment of silence before kickoff. Nassen, 40, passed away in the spring after battling cancer.

“Through the grind of training camp, the late nights of bowl setups, or on the tarmac unloading planes at three in the morning, I will treasure all the moments I was able to spend with him,” SDSU video coordinator Brian Murphy said. “He was a great person who did whatever it took.  One word comes to mind when I think about Gregg. Selflessness. He was one of the most selfless people I have ever met.”

Season tickets

SDSU officials said season ticket sales coming into the game totaled 8,087. That’s roughly half what they were when Snapdragon Stadium opened three years ago. The Aztecs sold 15,973 season tickets in 2022, then 10,718 in 2023 and 8,755 last year.