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Entering the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal showdown between (4) Arizona State and (5) Texas, the Sun Devils entered the fourth quarter down 24-8 without much hope of a comeback. Then star running back Cam Skattebo reminded the nation why he’s one of the best players in college football.
Skattebo almost single-handedly powered Arizona State to a miraculous rally — this after “vomiting profusely” on the sideline, according to the ESPN broadcast — and gashed Texas’ defense in almost every way possible. He finished with 30 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns, a team-high eight catches for 88 yards and one pass completion for a 42-yard touchdown. He accounted for 56% of Arizona State’s total offense.
Though Arizona State ultimately fell short in a 39-31 double overtime loss, Skattebo’s heroic effort deserves a nod.
It all started when, on fourth-and-2 from Texas’ 42-yard line, Skattebo took a quick pitch from quarterback Sam Leavitt. Instead of running for the first down, Skattebo pulled up and launched the ball downfield, where wide receiver Malik McClain made a nice adjustment and finished the play for a huge touchdown.
Arizona State’s defense, which had a strong day, did its part on the next drive. Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers attempted a deep pass that was intercepted by Arizona State defensive back Javan Robinson.
With momentum building, Arizona State dialed up a shot play to Skattebo, who raced past Texas defensive back Michael Taaffe on a wheel route, caught a deep pass through pass interference and then gained extra yardage through a facemask penalty for a 62-yard play.
Another pass interference call on Texas put the ball near the end zone. Skattebo, who had been stood up on a couple short yardage situations earlier in the game, took a handoff and plowed through a couple of Texas defenders for a 2-yard touchdown.
He then took another handoff on the 2-point conversion, danced around a Texas defender that almost met him in the backfield and then waltzed into the end zone to tie the game up.
A couple of missed Texas field goals, including one from 38 yards that doinked off the upright, sent the game to overtime. That gave Skattebo more time to leave his mark.
The Sun Devils got the ball first and methodically worked their way to the goal line, with Leavitt picking up a crucial third-and-15 conversion on his legs in the process. On first-and-goal from the 3-yard line, Skattebo took another handoff right down the middle, plowed through Texas defensive lineman Bill Norton and broke the plane thanks to some extra help from an ASU offensive lineman.
Skattebo is the first player in College Football Playoff history with 100 yards rushing and 80 yards receiving. He’s also the first player since at least 2000 with 100-plus yards rushing, 80-plus yards receiving, two touchdowns rushing and one passing touchdown in a single game.
Skattebo set new single-season program records for yards rushing (1,711) and touchdowns rushing (21) in the loss as well.
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