Saturday night’s contest hosting the USC Trojans (4-0), the Arizona State Sun Devils (1-3) had a different look on offense Saturday night, with Head Coach Kenny Dillingham calling the plays for the first time this season.
“You have to play this game attacking,” Dillingham said. “You can’t play the game scared.”
The Sun Devils went run-heavy to open the game. Junior running back Cam Skattebo led the rushing attack with 136 yards.
Skattebo had an 18-yard TD run from the red zone and a 52-yard rumble and tumble TD to put the Sun Devils within six in the third quarter.
“I expect to score every play,” Skattebo said. “I just keep my feet and I was able to stay balanced and keep going.”
Skattebo showed dominance by carrying the ball and running over the Trojan defenders, but he also exhibited his punting and throwing skills in the big moments.
In the first quarter, after a three-and-out, Skattebo lined up in the backfield and punted the ball to an empty Trojan defense with no returner.
The next time Skattebo lined up to punt the ball, he rolled to his right and lobbed a 25-yard pass to redshirt junior Elijhah Badger on fourth-and-5.
“I’m going to be in trouble tomorrow. The fake throw was not supposed to happen,” Skattebo said. “But I started yelling [Badger’s] name, and I know he’s got my back if I put the ball in the air.”
The Sun Devils went 3-4 in fourth down conversions but struggled on third down by going 6-16.
Most of these failed third-down conversions stem from the second half, where Dillingham wanted to keep chugging the momentum forward.
“First half, we were ahead of the chains. Second half’s first downs were aggressive calls that we were getting sacked on,” Dillignham said. “We got to throw the ball away or not call those calls so we can stay ahead of the chains.”
Although the Sun Devils may have been too aggressive with the playcalling, they showed a vast improvement on both sides of the ball, especially against the fifth-ranked team in the country.
“I’m pretty happy for the most part for the defense and offense really coming together a lot more than the last three weeks,” Skattebo said. “On the sidelines, it felt more like a family out there, tighter-knit and a lot more energy.”
Although the game resulted in a loss for the Sun Devils, it looks to be a turning point in their season.
With the creative and aggressive play calling going forward from Dillingham and the family bond building up in the locker room on the sidelines, the Sun Devils will leave this game in the past and look forward to the rest of their season.
“It doesn’t matter how we start. The only thing that matters is getting better,” Dillingham said. “We go on the road next week to Cal, and let’s do everything we can to win a football game.”
The Sun Devils will take the road next week to face the Cal Bears (2-2), who are also looking for their first win in Pac-12 play.
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