ASU football, Skattebo and Leavitt rock Iowa State in Big 12 title game

ARLINGTON, Texas – Cam Skattebo crossed the goal line at AT&T Stadium and struck a Heisman pose as his Arizona State teammates celebrated around him. That 3-yard run was his first of three points on the day and gave the Sun Devils a seven-point lead over Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game.

Skattebo’s breakout season was the catalyst for No. 15 Arizona State’s magical run, which continued with a 45-19 victory over the No. 16 Cyclones (10-3) and likely secured the Sun Devils a place in college. football playoffs.

The selection show airs Sunday at 10 a.m. MST on ESPN.

ASU outscored Iowa State 21-0 in the third quarter, prompting Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham to tell ABC: “Three stops in a row, three turnovers in a row…short fields, the offense is over.” Just supplementary football. … I’m really proud of the guys.”

Saturday’s bout marked ASU’s sixth straight victory and is its fourth victory over a nationally ranked opponent.

Game return:Cam Skattebo and ASU dominate Iowa State for the Big 12 title

It was considered a toss-up game, especially after the Sun Devils (11-2) lost their leading receiver Jordyn Tyson to injury last week. The teams were one place apart and were comparable in all statistical categories. But the Sun Devils sent a message led by their spirited spark plug, scoring 35 unanswered points after the teams were tied at 10.

Colorado duo Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty were the players who dominated the Heisman Trophy conversation. While Skattebo’s season didn’t quite get him to that level, it did turn heads in college football circles. He was no longer on NFL scouts’ radars after last season, which was solid but not spectacular.

But Skattebo made a statement when the spotlight was brightest, with the Sun Devils playing in a conference championship game on national television. It’s safe to say he’s never been watched more often than he was on Saturday, and he responded. Skattebo rushed for 170 yards on 16 carries and caught two passes for 38 yards, highlighted by a 38-yard scoring reception in the third quarter that gave ASU a 45-10 lead.

The 18 points and three touchdowns tied a Big 12 record, and his total yards that season (rushing and receiving combined) broke a school record set by Eno Benjamin in 2018 (1,905 yards).

The first half ended with ASU leading 24-10 thanks to 140 Skattebo yards, including 90 yards after contact. His longest outing of the day was a 53-yard outing in which he broke five tackles.

Any thoughts the Cyclones might have had of a second-half rally quickly evaporated. ASU forced three turnovers in the second half and converted all of them into touchdowns.

The game was so in hand that Skattebo left the game early in the fourth quarter, as did quarterback Sam Leavitt, who threw for 219 yards and three touchdowns, with two of those throws going to Xavier Guillory.

Now the Sun Devils will await their CFP fate. Most predictions had ASU seeded No. 11 or 12 in the 12-team field and not getting a bye in the first round. That privilege went to Boise State, which secured the Mountain West title on Friday night.

But ASU has certainly asserted itself on the football field, although its fate seemed sealed when it moved up one spot in the CFP poll last week. Regardless of whether ASU gets the bye or not, the storied season will continue — and Skattebo also has one more game left to surpass Benjamin’s single-season rushing record of 1,642 yards in 2018. He came into the game at 1,398, so he’s now within striking distance at 1,568.

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ASU football, Skattebo and Leavitt rock Iowa State in Big 12 title game

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