Cam Skattebo architected a masterful performance in Saturday night’s win over Mississippi State. The senior running back accumulated 262 rushing yards against the Bulldogs, the second-most rushing yards in the Arizona State program’s history.
Skattebo was a powerhouse as defenders could not keep him down. Throughout the night, multiple Bulldogs worked to keep Skattebo from any positive yardage, but Skattebo repeatedly refused to go down.
Whether carrying or receiving, Skattebo made it work for the Sun Devils and recorded 297 all-purpose yards. Coming into the game, he knew that the offensive line, head coach Kenny Dillingham and offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo would rely on his run game against the Bulldogs.
“I’m always expecting to have it in my backpack, but it’s not an every (game) thing, and this week it was, so I was excited to do that,” Skattebo said. “I’m glad I was able to do that. I’m glad these guys trust me to be able to do that. I love this game.”
Coach Dillingham said that the 57 runs in the game were probably the most he had ever called in a game as a playcaller.
“We want to be balanced everywhere last week, but at the end of the day, we were running the ball well,” he said. “What’s the definition of insanity, right? Isn’t that expecting a different result when you do the same thing? So if the result is good, you should probably keep doing it, right?”
It wasn’t a perfect gameplan, especially in the third quarter when the Sun Devils allowed Mississippi State to score extra points that made the game close.
The ASU offense fell short of three consecutive drives from the end of the third quarter into the fourth, two with only three plays and all ending in punts.
Even with the offensive rhythm off, Skattebo was not worried about the team’s performance going forward, especially in the game’s final minutes when the Sun Devils needed to burn time on the clock.
“Me and the o-line had a talk on the sideline, and I didn’t think going into that anyone was going to stop us,” he said. “No matter who it was.”
In the game’s last drive, Skattebo received a perfect window of opportunity from the offensive line and rushed for 39 yards before he slid deep in MSU territory, sealing the victory.
“I put my belief in (the offensive line), you know I’m going to do my job back there, behind them, and they made a beautiful hole,” Skattebo said. “So we had enough time on the clock to just burn it, and we won.”
Last season, in the Sun Devils’ 17-7 win against UCLA, Skattebo had the chance to slide to ice the game and instead decided to score a touchdown.
“He could have scored a touchdown, and he slid. That’s the growth he’s had,” Dillingham said. “Skatt of last year goes and scores and gives them a chance to have two minutes left to go in the game, to go down and try and score, kick an on-side kick and try to win. Skatt of this year falls down. We take three knees; we win the football game. That’s the growth he’s made as a person.”
This growth and passion for the game haven’t gone unnoticed by Skattebo’s teammates. Quarterback Leavitt and redshirt senior center Leif Fautanu have noticed the emotion and car Skattebo has put into the game this season.
“I think he definitely stepped up in the offseason,” Leavitt said. “He’s had more of a voice than last year, and I think he really cares about the standard of the team, and he’s very passionate about what he does. You guys can tell he just wants to have the rock in the play. But as passionate as he is, he’s very much a great leader.”
Skattebo’s passion off the field for the team’s standard translates onto the field. It’s allowed him to build trust and unspoken knowledge of how to go about a play with his offensive line, propelling their power against strong defenses like Mississippi State.
Dillingham attributes this success to Skattebo’s work in the offseason to look like an NFL player. His total domination of Mississippi State could be pivotal in his quest to reach the league.
“I said, ‘Right now, you’re not (an NFL player), and if you want to be one, you’re going to drop weight, right? You’re going to get in better shape and faster,'” Dillingham said. “‘You’re going to control your passion, and you’re going to channel it,’ and he’s done everything I’ve asked him. So right now, that looked like a Sunday player.”
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