(Photo via Spencer Barnes/WCSN)
It’s fourth-and-7 for Arizona State football at midfield. Down two scores in the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils needed someone to step up to keep the pulse alive inside Mountain America Stadium. As the heartbeat began to slow, junior running back Cam Skattebo acted as a defibrillator.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Drew Pyne threw it short to Skattebo and let the former Sacramento State Hornet illustrate his power. With one man to beat for the first down, the junior closed his eyes and tucked his shoulder to ram over the smaller defensive back. Skattebo won the battle but had no chance to celebrate as he stumbled towards another victim, who he again was able to run through like a saloon door to the endzone.
“I expect to score every play,” Skattebo said. “On that last play, I just kept my feet, and I was able to stay balanced and kept going.”
The 52-yard touchdown capped off a sensational performance by Skattebo, who was forced to wear many hats for the Sun Devils’ offense. Despite the 42-28 loss to USC, ASU unlocked the potential of what their starting running back can be in this offense. Skattebo finished with 232 total yards in the game coming from all facets.
Skattebo wasn’t satisfied with the career night as he believes that the Sun Devils should’ve upset the Trojans, but little mistakes held them back. Head coach Kenny Dillingham’s eccentric playcalling – which was frequently used in the first half and only made possible by Skattebo and the rest of the Sun Devils’ ability to adapt – was credited for giving ASU a chance against one of the nation’s top teams.
“We came into the game with a great plan, and I think [Dillingham] was aggressive, aggressive play calling,” redshirt junior wide receiver Elijhah Badger said. “He used everybody to the best to their ability, everybody moving around, motioning, different tempos.”
After a first quarter consisting of only one touchdown and 25 offensive yards – all of which came from Skattebo – Dillingham wanted to “attack” every opportunity allotted, putting the Rio Linda, California native in unfamiliar situations.
“It was super aggressive,” Skattebo said. “We called our shots, and when our shots needed to be called…it was nice to see the play calling being aggressive and using [Dillingham]’s players as much as he could. There’s a reason why he has the best offenses in the country, and I mean, it showed a lot today.”
At one point, Skattebo even lined up at punter, something he hadn’t done since his senior year in high school, and he booted the longest punt of the game at 53 yards. The big boot forced USC to respect his leg, and Skattebo took advantage with a massive 25-yard pass to Badger on a later fourth down.
“I’m going to be in trouble tomorrow. The throw on the fake punt was not supposed to happen,” Skattebo said. “It wasn’t planned before, but I started yelling Badger’s name, and he looked over, so I knew he got my back if I put the ball in the air.”
That drive almost ended via a touchdown pass by Skattebo, but the ball was just out of the reach of freshman running back Kyson Brown.
Dillingham opened up the playbook with trick plays and used the Wildcat formation to let his playmakers work. Skattebo was responsible for 70% of ASU’s total yards in the first half, which included yards on the ground, in the air and as a receiver. For the ASU running back, the 96 first-half yards were only the beginning, as he doubled that production after halftime.
ASU struggled in the pass protection, allowing eight sacks, which put a massive emphasis on feeding the run game. 65 of Skattebo’s 111 total rushing yards came in the second half and helped him record his first game this season with 100+ yards on the ground. With his 5-foot-10-inch, 225-pound frame, he kept his center of gravity low to the ground while providing an enormous power bonus that led him to success.
“We ran the ball a lot more than we have in the past. We were a downhill attack,” Skattebo said. “We knew we could run the ball on these guys, and it was working, so we stuck with it.”
With Pyne’s first start as a Sun Devil coming against the No. 5 ranked team in the country, pressure was piled onto his shoulders, but Skattebo stepped up to partially relieve his quarterback against one of the top teams in the country. Dillingham mentioned that he doesn’t believe in moral victories. However, he explained that the team has improved, and the offense was a prominent example.
“You should never get comfortable or be happy with losing a football game, but what can you grow from? What can you learn from, and what can you take away from it?” Dillingham said. “I could have done a few things better for our players, helped our players a little bit more and given them a better chance. I want to do everything in my power to put my players in a better position next week.”
Entering Saturday’s game, the Sun Devils were scoreless through their last six quarters of football and hadn’t scored a second-half touchdown. Skattebo ended both of those streaks with his sheer athleticism and power. For the program to build off this offensive success next week against California, it starts with Skattebo. While ASU did fall to 1-3 on the season, Saturday’s loss was a significant step forward not only on the field but on the sideline.
“I’m happy for the most part that the defense and offense are really coming together a lot more than the last three weeks,” Skattebo said. “On the sidelines, it felt more of a family out there.”
