Confidence was a theme for ASU heading into the Peach Bowl against Texas, and its two best offensive players led the way.

After Sam Leavitt declared he would prove he was the better quarterback in the game, Cam Skattebo added fuel to the fire on Monday when he expressed his belief that “there’s no one who can stop me” if he running in defense.

The running back’s comments doubled down after he said he was the best running back in the country and had the Big 12 title game’s Most Outstanding Player belt hanging on his shoulder after the win over Iowa State.

“I watched the tape, and I think he deserves to say that,” Texas Green Dots linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. said Friday. “He runs people over. He catches balls out of the backfield, so I feel like he deserves to say that.

“But at the end of the day we have a challenge and we are an elite defense. That’s why I can’t wait to play against him and see who’s really the best.”

To his credit, there have been few defenses that have been able to stop Skattebo this season.

He only had four games under 4.5 yards per carry, and in three of those he still managed to reach over 100 total yards through his contributions in the receiving game. The only thing he didn’t do was the season-opening win against Wyoming, where he totaled 68 yards on 12 touches.

While his last two games came against two of the bottom five rush defenses in the Power 4 as ranked by PFF (No. 63 Arizona and No. 66 Iowa State out of 67), Skattebo had three touchdowns in the first half against the No. 23 rush defense BYU.

It’s worth noting that his other best games came against No. 40 Utah (158 yards on 22 carries), No. 47 Mississippi State (262 yards on 33 carries), No. 57 Kansas (182 yards on 25 carries) and No. 67 Oklahoma State (153 yards on 23 carries).

A game with a worst three yards per attempt came against No. 64 Texas Tech. He finished the game averaging 3.3 yards on 18 carries for 60 yards and added 117 receiving yards on six catches.

“I am a versatile all-rounder. I’m my own game, I do my own thing,” Skattebo added on Monday. “I balance physicality with versatility, and that’s pretty rare in the league.”

He missed a game against UCF, the 19th-best rush defense among Big 12 teams. ASU was held to 99 rushing yards on 32 carries, with Kyson Brown and Sam Leavitt receiving the most touches.

What does Kenny Dillingham say about ASU’s external confidence?

“Everyone is different, and I think sometimes people want to put personalities in a bubble: what to say, what not to say, be sure to say that. Everyone just wants to take personalities and force them to be what they should look like. I couldn’t disagree more,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said at Media Day on Monday. “I want our boys to be themselves. That’s it.

“If what makes you play better is that you have to express it, then express it. If you’re a guy who wants to be humble, and I’m all about the work, and that’s your personality, then that’s you. There are so many ways to be successful.”

It’s a no-holds-barred approach that Dillingham has taken since he stepped on campus and took the job just over two years ago.

It’s clear to see how his example of wearing his heart on his sleeve when playing for a second with the referee or jumping up and down with students mobbing the field resonates in the locker room and it to the players makes it easier for the team to wear their hearts on their sleeves.

ASU and Texas meet in the Peach Bowl on Wednesday at 11 a.m. MST. Listen to play-by-play coverage on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM with pregame beginning at 8 a.m. or watch the telecast on ESPN.