TUSCON – “They're just a unique goofy group of Misfits that somehow came together and are accomplishing things that are special; the connection is unbelievable between those guys.”
The above is a quote by Arizona State Head Coach Kenny Dillingham. During the early days of Dillingham’s arrival in Tempe, two players transferred ahead of the 2023 season to bolster a stagnant Sun Devil offensive that delivered just three wins during the 2022 lackluster campaign. One of the two was a hardnosed FCS running back, and the other was a promising wide receiver transferring as a byproduct of a new regime at a rival program.
Through a remarkably successful campaign, Arizona State (10-2,7-2 Big 12) has seen tremendous production in all facets of the program. However, on the offensive side of the gridiron, two players in particular have stamped their claim as the primary weapons for offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo. Authoritative running back Cam Skattebo and versatile wide receiver Jordyn Tyson have displayed consistency in their levels of performance, stuffing the stat sheet each week despite being two players atop the opponent scouting report.
On Saturday, the duo conquered new accolades as Skattebo reached 4,000 rushing yards against the Wildcats. His career total jolted to 4,089 yards following a dominant 177 yards with three touchdowns, taking home the Bon Moran Territorial Cup game MVP. For Tyson, he became the first ASU player since Brandon Aiyuk to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season set back in 2019. He completed eight catches for 143 yards while scoring a touchdown of his own in the second quarter.
The Sun Devils came out firing on all cylinders in the of the 98th Territorial Cup showdown, going up 35-0 before halftime. The first four touchdowns of the game were split between Tyson and Skattebo, who were doing all their damage on the scoreboard just 24 minutes into the game.
“Testament to a great game plan and our (offensive) line and obviously (Skattebo) and (Kyson Brown) balling … Testament to them and super happy for our team,” Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt said.
For Skattebo, his dominating play style has taken ASU fandom by storm since 2023, when the transfer from Sacramento State touted 783 yards and nine touchdowns for a struggling 3-9 side in Tempe. In 2024, the senior’s palatable growth only further ingrained his legacy in the hearts of the Sun Devil faithful, capping off the 2024 regular season with 1,398 yards on the ground in just 11 games. A 79% increase from his 2023 claim to fame.
Besides improvements in a multitude of position groups, Skattebo’s 2024 campaign can be attributed to his dedication to playing at the next level. As head coach Kenny Dillingham advised his starting running back to slim down in order to become more dynamic as a backfilled player. Taking his coach's sentiment to heart, Skattebo lost roughly 12 pounds in the offseason, making him more dangerous in open space as well as over the air.
This addition to his bag of tricks has made him impossible to cover for defenses, due to his ability to get outside and upfield in a hurry and catch passes. This dilemma for coaches has proven a tall task statistically as Skattebo leads the Big 12 in all-purpose yards per game with 169.8 yards per game, a jump of 89% from the 2023 season.
For Skattebo, the growth is nothing short of expected. The players have developed immense confidence in themselves, stamped in the preseason but ingrained during their season's success, which paid dividends in the win column.
“I play to win football games and put smiles on people's faces,” Skattebo said. “I do it because my teammates have my back, and there's nothing better than a brotherhood that football brings to your life. I'll have these connections for the rest of my life till I'm passed away and dead. I'll know these people till all of us are dead, and that's what's so special about this. You can make $500 million, but the connections are what is deep.”
For Tyson, the redshirt sophomore had dealt with trials and tribulations throughout his college career, being a part of a major reprofiling process at Colorado following the arrival of NFL hall-of-fame cornerback Deion Sanders. Tyson showed immense talent during his freshman season in Boulder, making 22 catches for a team-high of 470 receiving yards and five touchdowns. However, suffering a leg injury toward the end of his time in Boulder, Tyson was forced to redshirt and miss the majority of his sophomore season as a Sun Devil, a time he described as “very tough and very lonely,” in November of 2023 after making his debut.
In 2024, the wideout was back and better than ever, leading the ASU passing game in every facet. His 75 receptions for 1101 yards and ten touchdowns have made him a standout target. those figures account for 41% of the Sun Devils' total receiving yards in 2024.
His connection with Leavitt has become a joyful antidote for Sun Devil fans. The two have continued to play with more chemistry as time has progressed, with Tyson notching six of his 10 touchdowns in November.
“I’d just say time on task,” Leavitt said about his and Tyson’s on-the-field connection. “We just work on it so much that it's night and day from even three weeks ago. It's funny to see how much we grow every single time because it's a play that we make now we wouldn't have made early on. He had an insane catch on the sidelines, with crazy body control, and got a foot in, I don't think we make that play early in the season. So just stuff like that and we just keep going to work, you can't do much more than that.”
Tyson’s story of the 2024 season may be ending on a sour note; however, falling hard on his left shoulder left him in clear pain. He would leave the game and not return to the field of play, wearing a sling on his left arm due to an apparent Collarbone injury. When asked, Dillingham said a timeline for Tyson is unclear and that he will be reevaluated on Sunday. Despite going down injured, Tyson was able to sit on the sidelines and cheer his teammates on, including redshirt freshman wide receiver Derek Eusebio, who made his first colligate completion and touchdown on a 64-yard play in the fourth quarter.
“We'll find out in the morning,” Dillingham said. “But he came back out on the field first thing he said was ‘Dang I missed Derrick's play’ and that's our team in a nutshell.”
In route to its first 10-win season since 2014, ASU has forged a new path unexpected by the masses, with the offensive production of Tyson and Skattebo the team has become a more than formidable offensive unit that is averaging over 30 points per game. With a spot in the Big 12 title game, the duo has more work left on its plate to achieve the success they’ve carved out thus far; for Saturday, however, the celebrations are focused on bringing the Territorial Cup back to Tempe after losing participating in 2023s loss Skattebo and ASU had this game circled on the calendar a long time coming.
“You know, because ‘Get Back’ sucks,” Skattebo said. “And we planned that all year that was our Cup. That Cup is going to stay in Phoenix for a long time, I don't think (Dillingham) ever plans on getting rid of it so we might as well write ASU on that one for now.”
