ATLANTA — Cam Skattebo, his voice rough and tired, repeated the word over and over again: “Undeniable.” This season, this game, this Arizona State team … undeniable.

Skattebo and the rest of his Sun Devil brothers had just lost one of the best games of the 2024 college football season, a playoff quarterfinal in which Arizona State pushed Texas to its limits and beyond.

Yes, the Sun Devils lost to Texas 39-31 in double overtime. The Longhorns move on, the Sun Devils go home. But the Peach Bowl marked an unlikely, glorious culmination of a magical season for Arizona State, the kind of season you hope and dream about, the kind of season you’ll be talking about for decades to come. Remember that time when we were just one play away…?

Arizona State shouldn’t be here. Damn, Arizona State shouldn’t be anywhere. Picked to finish last in the Big 12 under second-year coach Kenny Dillingham, the Sun Devils surprised the entire college football universe by storming through their conference, winning their championship and then nearly becoming one of the game’s blue bloods upset.

Skattebo was Arizona State’s beating heart this season, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound bowler who hurled himself into opponents’ chests. Rather than fast, Skattebo doesn’t bother running around you when it runs over or through you, which is much more effective.

On Wednesday at the Peach Bowl, he did both in spades, blasting the Texas defense for 143 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, another 99 yards through the air (including 74 yards on catches) and, along the way, a 42-yarder -yard touchdown pass. When Arizona State fell behind by two touchdowns, Skattebo simply lifted the team onto his back and started stomping some Longhorn falls. This is the kind of chaos that makes them write songs about you and tell legends about your campfire exploits.

“We fought through everything all season,” Skattebo said after the game at a podium with head coach Dillingham and quarterback Sam Leavitt by his side. “I bet no one in this room thought we would even come close when we were down 17-3 in the first quarter…Everyone on this team believes in each other and that’s what held us together.”

Well, that and the fact that Skattebo is simply unstoppable. He ran for 10 yards on his first play from scrimmage and didn’t stop running the rest of the game. When asked about Skattebo’s influence on everything in the game that didn’t involve kicking, Dillingham just shook his head in admiration and disbelief.

“I mean, it’s just a Tuesday for Cam,” he laughed tiredly.

“Wednesday,” Skattebo corrected helpfully.

“Good point. He’s a special player,” Dillingham continued. “When you give him the ball, crazy things happen.”

Even Skattebo’s setbacks are dramatic. He was clearly wrong at the start of the game and when asked what was wrong he was direct.

“I mean, I threw up,” he said. “I drank too much water too quickly, felt a little sluggish, and then felt better.”

“Barf and collect yourself,” Dillingham said, laughing.

Skattebo is now ineligible and will enter the NFL Draft. He’s not turning heads yet – Yahoo Sports’ draft experts don’t think he’s a first-rounder – but that probably suits him just fine. He was an under-heralded recruit coming out of high school who initially committed to Sacramento State before transferring to Arizona State and look where he is now.

“The three of us here have a long life ahead of us,” Skattebo said, pointing to Dillingham and Leavitt. “This is just the beginning for us. No matter what happens, these guys will be in my life forever. So it’s great that I was able to play football for and with them.”

These are the stories that exist in the College Football Playoff, the moments when a little-respected team faces the elite, when an overlooked recruit finds fame and an unexpected new home. Arizona State has proven it is possible. Cam Skattebo proved that it is likely.