Jacks hit hard by injury to signal-caller Sumner

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Inherently healthy Austin Sumner is not. He's played hurt the last two seasons and has undergone multiple surgeries.

However, the maladies haven't cost the quarterback much playing time: He's appeared in 38 games in a row dating back to Sept. 10, 2011 – the second week of his redshirt freshman season.

The string will be snapped in the forthcoming home opener against Cal Poly, as the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder Sumner – the FCS active leader in career passing yards – suffered breaks to three bones on the outside of his right foot in the first quarter of a 38-18 loss at Missouri on Saturday. For all the hits he's absorbed, including more than 100 sacks, the all-conference selection has been knocked out for 6-8 weeks by one wrong step, a non-contact injury.

STORY: Jacks lose QB Sumner to injury in 38-18 loss to Missouri

BLOG: Week 1 leftovers: Jacks, Mizzou share construction co.

"There's an example of why you play your tail off every play," coach John Stiegelmeier said. "You're not guaranteed another play."

The right-handed Sumner put on the brakes when running to his left on the fourth possession, preparing to go to the ground for a 1-yard gain in order to avoid taking unnecessary punishment from an oncoming defender. His cleat stuck in the artificial turf, causing the right foot to turn out at a sharp angle. The tweak was clearly visible on the television replay.

Sumner initially thought it might be a sprained foot, something he incurred last season against North Dakota State. But there was considerable pain when he tried to put weight on it, to the point that he needed helped getting off the field and to the lockerroom for X-rays.

The pics showed three clean breaks, according to Sumner, which he spun as a positive. The initial prognosis has him missing five to seven games out of 12 in the regular season for the No. 10-ranked Jacks, who are pursuing a third consecutive FCS playoff berth.

"Senior year – it's not what you want to have happen," Sumner said. "But there's nothing I can do."

If anything can expedite the healing process, the Brandon Valley grad will do it.

In 2012, he dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand leading up to the season opener at Kansas. He did round-the-clock treatments and wound up missing one half rather than the multiple games as feared. Last year, Sumner played two-plus games through a shoulder issue that – like the thumb – required offseason surgery and kept him out of spring ball.

He also had offseason surgery on his throwing shoulder prior to his senior year of high school. That prevented him from attending high-profile camps and perhaps stopped him from getting scholarship offers from FBS schools.

SDSU has benefited from the oversight for years. Sumner stepped in to become the starter when incumbent Thomas O'Brien abruptly quit the team three weeks into the 2011 season. Sumner hasn't looked back. In fact, his extended reign factored into two promising backups transferring out of Brookings in search of playing time.

Sumner owns the SDSU school record for career passing yards (7,831) and was on pace to break the Missouri Valley Football Conference mark. NFL scouts have been showing interest.

What's more, he's a man of the people, the only three-time captain the Jacks have ever had.

"He's crushed inside – I can't imagine," Stiegelmeier said. "I'm crushed inside. He's a leader. He's had so much success. He's a guy that anybody on our football team would do more for than anybody else because of how deeply he's loved. So we have to lift him up, and he's got to lift his teammates up, and ideally maybe come back at the end of the season."

According to SDSU linebacker T.J. Lally, many of the players didn't realize the severity until halftime. Sumner returned to the sideline in uniform in the second quarter, albeit with a protective boot on his foot.

Still, there were clues that the news was bad. Sumner spent the rest of the first half laying on his back on a training table, alternating between holding hands and towel to head. His mom, Amy, who said that she prays for the safety of both teams during every national anthem, was brought out of the stands to see him.

By intermission, he was trying to turn the page, pulling aside replacement Zach Lujan – a true sophomore and late addition to the 2014 recruiting class from a California junior college – to offer advice and encouragement. But there was another wave of emotion in the postgame as Sumner, leaning on crutches, was encircled by friends and family outside the visiting lockerroom.

"I'm just going to try to lead this team the best I can, and see what happens," he said. "I haven't really thought about it much."

At a Glance

Senior strife: Senior QB Austin Sumner has played through injuries before, but a trio of broken bones in his foot will likely sideline him for five to seven games. True sophomore and junior college transfer Zach Lujan will take over as starting quarterback.

Next: vs. Cal Poly, 6 p.m. Saturday