'Undeniable': The remarkable season of Cam Skattebo and Arizona ...

ATLANTA — Cam Skattebo, his voice raw and weary, kept repeating the word over and over again: “Undeniable.” This season, this game, this Arizona State team … undeniable.

Skattebo and the rest of his Sun Devil brethren had just come up on the losing end of one of the finest games of the 2024 college football season, a playoff quarterfinal where Arizona State took Texas to the limit and beyond.

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

Arizona State wasn’t supposed to be here. Hell, Arizona State wasn’t supposed to be anywhere. Picked to finish at the bottom of 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 very nearly upsetting one of the game’s blue bloods.

Skattebo was the beating heart of Arizona State this season, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound bowling ball hurling himself into the chests of the opposition. Quick rather than fast, Skattebo doesn’t bother running around you when running over you or through you is so much more effective.

He did plenty of both on Wednesday at the Peach Bowl, gashing the Texas defense for 143 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, another 99 yards through the air (with 74 yards coming after catches), and, just for good measure, a 42-yard touchdown pass. When Arizona State fell behind by two touchdowns, Skattebo simply hoisted the team onto his back and began stomping some Longhorn hide. That’s the kind of chaos that makes them write songs about you and tell legends of your exploits around campfires.

“We fought through everything all season,” Skattebo said after the game, at a podium with head coach Dillingham and quarterback Sam Leavitt at his side. “I bet you nobody in this room thought we were going to even be close when we went down 17-3 in that first quarter … Everybody on this team believes in each other and that's what kept us close.”

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Well, that and the fact that Skattebo is flat-out unstoppable. On his first play from scrimmage he ran for 10 yards, and he didn’t stop running the rest of the game. Asked about Skattebo’s impact on everything in the game that didn’t involve kicking, Dillingham just shook his head in admiration and disbelief.

“I mean, this is just a Tuesday for Cam,” he laughed wearily.

“Wednesday,” Skattebo helpfully corrected.

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

Even Skattebo’s setbacks are dramatic. He was clearly off early in the game, and when asked what was ailing him, he was direct.

“I mean, I threw up,” he said. “I drank too much water too fast, and I was kind of feeling sloshy, and then felt better after.”

“Puke and rally,” Dillingham said with a laugh.

Skattebo is out of eligibility now, and he’ll head to the NFL Draft. He isn’t yet turning heads — Yahoo Sports’ draft experts don’t project him as a first-rounder — but that probably suits him just fine. He was a lightly regarded recruit coming out of high school, committing to Sacramento State before transferring to Arizona State, and look where he is now.

“Us three right here, we got a long life ahead of us,” Skattebo said, motioning to Dillingham and Leavitt. “This is just the beginning for us. No matter what, these guys will be in my life forever. So it's awesome that I was able to play football for and with them.”

These are the kinds of stories that are coming to the College Football Playoff, the moments when a lightly regarded team steps up against the elites, where an overlooked recruit finds glory and an unexpected new home. Arizona State proved it’s possible. Cam Skattebo proved it’s likely.