Much Ado About Skattebo
It has been three days since the Texas Longhorns defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl, and the double overtime thriller has been surrounded by its fair share of controversy. ASU Head Coach Kenny Dillingham's profanity-laden rant about the referees has gone viral. The physics-defying bounce of a "blocked" field goal has been replayed over and over again. Quinn Ewers’ gutsy touchdown pass on 4th & 13 to tie the game on a play where any other result would have ended their season will live on in Longhorn mythology. But despite all of the drama, none of this has captured the attention of the nation quite as much as the real story of this game: the legendary 4th quarter performance of Arizona State’s runningback Cam Skattebo.
The game opened innocuously enough. The Sun Devils received the ball and put together a 6 minute drive that stalled around midfield, resulting in a 39 yard field goal to take the 3-0 lead. The Longhorns only needed two plays to take it back: Quinn Ewers connected with Matthew Golden for 54 yard catch and run, then hit Deandre Moore in the end zone for a 23 yard touchdown. Just like that, Texas is on top 7-3. Arizona went three-and-out on the following drive, and Longhorn kick returner Silas Bolden returned the subsequent punt 75 yards for another touchdown. Arizona State very quickly found themselves losing 14-3.
The second quarter was quieter. Texas added a field goal to increase their lead and ASU attempted a field goal of their own right before halftime. It was tipped at the line, landed short of the uprirghts, then somehow bounced up and over the crossbar. Officially, the kick was blocked and no points were awarded but it may result in a review of the way blocked field goals are handled going forward. The teams went into halftime with Texas up 17-3.
In the third quarter, Arizona State went for it on 4th & goal just a couple of yards away from a score, but were turned away following a tremendous goal line stand by the Texas defense. When the Longhorns took over on the 2 yard line for their next possession, ASU defensive back Shemari Simmons blitzed and hit Quintrevion Wisner in the end zone to force a fumble. Quinn Ewers was able to recover the loose ball, but was immediately tackled for a safety to give Arizona State 2 points and the ball. Their next drive stalled out around midfield again, but they were able to add another field goal to bump the score up to 17-8.
With just around 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Quinn Ewers capped off a solid offensive drive with a 5 yard rushing touchdown to increase the Texas lead to 24-8. It was desperation time for the Sun Devils. They hadn't scored a touchdown all game, but now they would need 16 points as quickly as possible or their season would be over. Cam Skattebo rose to the occasion.
It was reported around this time that Skattebo was on the sidelines "vomiting profusely", but you would never know that based on what happened next. With 6:42 left in the game, ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt tossed the ball to Skattebo, who then pulled up and unleashed a 42 yard touchdown pass to Malik McClain. It was the spark that the Sun Devils needed, as they would convert the 2 point try and make it a 24-16 game. On the second play of their following defensive stand, Javan Robinson intercepted Quinn Ewers to get the ball right back. As soon as the Sun Devils were back on offense Cam Skattebo lined up as a wide receiver and hauled in a 62 yard catch from Sam Leavitt while drawing a pass interference call and a facemask penalty during the catch. The play after that, he pounded his way into the end zone for a short rushing touchdown, then did it again for the 2 point conversion. In less than 2 minutes, the game was all tied up at 24-24.
The Longhorns' next possession started with around 5 minutes left to play. They managed to take the clock all the way down to 1:44 and attempted a 48 yard field goal. Bert Auburn missed it. The Sun Devils took over close to midfield, but two incomplete passes and a false start penalty put them in a 3rd and 15 that they couldn't convert without using much clock. They punted it back to Texas with a minute left. Quinn Ewers put together a 6 play drive where he went 5-for-5 passing and moved the ball 60 yards to put Texas in position to kick a game-winning 38 yard field goal as time expired. Bert Auburn hit the left upright, and instead this game was headed to overtime.
Arizona State received the ball to start overtime, and 9 plays later we saw Cam Skattebo run it in for his second rushing touchdown of the day. Arizona State had the lead again, and the extra point was good to make it 31-24. As soon as Texas got the ball back, they were in trouble. With the season on the line, Quinn Ewers and his squad faced a 4th & 13. When the Longhorns needed it most, Matthew Golden got open and Ewers found him for a 28 yard touchdown in the back of the end zone. Extra point was good, and this game headed to second overtime.
Possession flipped for the second overtime, so Texas had the ball first. They didn't have it long. On the first and only offensive play they ran in the 2nd overtime period, Quinn Ewers connected with his tight end Gunnar Helm who took it all the way to the endzone. After a successful 2 point conversion, Arizona State took over with a 39-31 deficit. Cam Skattebo managed to get 13 more receiving yards and 2 more rushing yards on the short drive that followed, but the game ended with Sam Leavitt throwing an interception to the Longhorns' Andrew Mukuba.
Despite the loss, Cam Skattebo was named Peach Bowl MVP for his amazing performance. Though their season is over, the Sun Devils' journey to even make it to the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff should be seen as a huge accomplishment given what their expectations were at the beginning of the season. The final stats for Cam Skattebo were:
- 30 rushes for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns
- 8 receptions for 99 yards
- 1 pass for a 42 yards touchdown
- A successful 2 point conversion to tie the game in the 4th quarter.
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