Cam Skattebo has been one of the driving forces in ASU football’s rise from 3-9 last season to becoming the Big 12 champions in its first year in the conference, and has received a prestigious accolade no one else has ever done in program history.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!With three touchdowns, 16 carries, 170 rushing and 38 receiving yards against Iowa State in the Sun Devils’ 45-19 blowout victory on Saturday, Skattebo was named the Big 12 Championship MVP.
Breaking through multiple tackles for gargantuan gains, Skattebo led Arizona State in all-purpose yardage (208). Bulldozing his way down the field, he averaged 10.6 yards per carry and was practically an unstoppable force that the Cyclones were unable to contain.
Since No. 1 receiver Jordyn Tyson was sidelined with an undisclosed injury, the Sun Devils relied on the run game against Iowa State, which was ranked No. 96 in the country in run defense coming into Texas. 245 of Arizona State’s 494 yards on offense came from rushing.
Skattebo slipped through the Cyclones defensive line twice for two rushing touchdowns before a gigantic 33-yard reception from Sam Leavitt into the end zone. Leavitt rushed for a touchdown, and completed 12-of-17 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns.
While he will the majority of the credit for the victory, Skattebo wanted to praise his team for the hard work and how much they mean to him.
“I was born for this, I give my heart for these guys,” Skattebo said postgame. “Everybody on the field all night gave it their hardest, and we had three straight turnovers by the defense. I can’t explain to you how hard those guys work, and what they have done for us as an offense. We just turned it around. All summer we worked our tails off to become better, and it paid off. Look at these guys, this is why I do it, to put smiles on these guys’ faces.”
Video Credit: Big 12 Conference on Youtube
In his final season at ASU, the California native has totaled 2,074 yards and 22 touchdowns in 12 games. In his past three games, Skattebo rushed for over 147 yards.
Securing a spot in the College Football Playoff, ASU is playing with house money and will look to Skattebo to continue his strong efforts on the biggest stage in collegiate football.
Takeaways from ASU destroying Iowa State 45-19 to win first-ever Big 12 championship
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
