Last Saturday, the Sun Devils clinched bowl eligibility for the first time since 2021 with four games still left to play and plenty of time to build on their momentum. Senior running back Cam Skattebo earned his fourth Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week this season after finishing with 274 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. Yet, as ASU prepares for its home game versus UCF, it may be without its star running back for the first time this year after he suffered an apparent shoulder injury in the later stages of the game.
Head coach Kenny Dillingham announced that Skattebo could be out for Saturday and will not practice this week. While he may not be on the field with the offense, the running back’s influence on the team goes far beyond his play, and this will be on display throughout the week.
“He’s completely changed his mindset and work ethic,” Dillingham said. “He’s always had that competitiveness on game day. He’s grown, and he’s the best version of himself right now. He’s actually doubtful to questionable for the game this week, so we’ll see how that transpires. Whether he plays in the football game, he’s going to make an impact on our football team because he’s one of the leaders.”
Some are making the case that Skattebo is ranked as the player with the 10th best odds to win the coveted Heisman trophy after breaking 1,000 rushing yards this past week and posting 400 receiving yards to pair with it. Dillingham believes an award like that would be hard for a player like Skattebo to win because of his position, but his leadership would be what separates him from the rest if he were to stay in the conversation.
“He’s been a big part of a huge change in a program,” Dillingham mentioned. “Over time these awards change to quarterback awards. But if you’re talking about a guy who’s impactful on a team, this is a guy who’s arguably the most impactful person on a team who had three wins a year ago. He helped transform a team not just on the field but he helped transform an organization. I think that’s powerful and hard to put into a statistical category.”
With Skattebo potentially out this week, the running backs behind him will look to take over the workload he leaves. Sophomore Kyson Brown is at the top of that list, as he began the transition in the final drives after Skattebo left the game against Oklahoma State. Heading into Stillwater with just 14 total carries for 80 yards on the season, Brown nearly doubled his totals with 15 carries for 63 yards and two touchdowns against the Cowboys.
Dillingham was impressed with what he saw from Brown, mentioning post-game that he was finally beginning to grow into his body with his play style on Saturday. Redshirt senior DeCarlos Brooks will also play a key factor behind Brown, but the sophomore will most likely receive the brunt of the carries.
“He did a phenomenal job breaking tackles,” Dillingham explained. “On the first touchdown run, he broke a defensive tackle’s tackle and ran like a bigger back, which I was most pleased with. He’s extremely hard on himself, which is what you want to see. He was the only guy who didn’t celebrate after the game because he let the ball go for a quarter of a second on a goal-line play. That’s what you want your football team to be filled with, and I’m excited for him.”
Redshirt sophomore Javan Robinson recorded his first interception of the year, marking the third straight game that a cornerback has picked off the opposing quarterback, with sophomore Keith Abney II responsible for the other two games. Part of that comes from the formations and gameplan that defensive coordinator Brian Ward and Dillingham drew up, but it also displays the work ethic and knowledge the two cornerbacks have.
“We’ve played a little more man coverage the last few games,” Dillingham noted. “I don’t know if that trend is going to continue this week, that’s just based on who we play. Those guys have just stepped up, and they’re really smart. Both of those kids are two of the smartest football players on our team, and it’s amazing how successful people can be when you’re smart. They’re both really good players, and I’m glad we have them.”
Robinson re-aggravated a shoulder injury on Saturday that he sustained against Cincinnati, putting junior Laterrence Welch into the game. Welch recorded six tackles in Robinson’s absence at Cincinnati and four more last week, but he made a much larger difference in the passing game, breaking up four passes against Oklahoma State. He’s battled adversity all season through injuries and playing time, but his attitude never wavered.
“LT is one of our energy guys,” Dillingham stated. “Anytime you have one of your energy guys playing well, people feed off of it. It was great from that perspective, and it showed the work he puts in. He hasn’t really complained this year after having injuries early and battling back for his spot, and it was really cool to see a guy like that embrace his moment and make the best of it.”
Dillingham will face his former head coach, Gus Malzahn, on Saturday. Dillingham worked under him as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Auburn. During his lone year with him in 2019, Dillingham learned what it takes to be a successful college coach. At the top of his list was the leadership council, which is where he got the idea of the Pat Tillman Leadership Council.
“I felt like every time he left the leadership council meeting, he had a much better beat on the football team,” Dillingham recalled. “Sometimes, when you’re a head coach, you can lose a beat on your team at times. I thought it was something I always wanted to do after that. They can set your standard, be your voice, and really get a shared vision of what you want your team to look like.”
In Dillingham’s eyes, the success he and the team have had this year is a two-faced sword. While it will mean players will more likely want to stay on the team; it also means other teams want those same people on their team. That’s where NIL comes into play, where Dillingham feels the fans and people outside of the team need to do their part to see a majority of these players return next season.
“It’s good and bad for roster retention,” Dillingham admitted. “The more you win, the more people want your players and the more money they’ll pay them. Every time we win, we need to raise more money to be able to retain our players when the season ends. I will say I think our players want to be there. I asked our leadership council if anyone was thinking about the end of the season and what happens, and they said that mostly everyone is all about right now.”
News surfaced that the settlement papers have been filed in the House vs. NCAA case, the case that sparked NIL. The settlement addresses payment of back damages for claims relating to NIL, other benefits, and additional NIL opportunities for student-athletes in the future. Over the next 10 years, a total of $2.78 billion will be paid back to schools and athletes.
While the settlement must still be approved, it is expected that this will all begin in the coming months. That being said, this will most likely be the last offseason that Dillingham will have to worry about losing his players to a bidding war, effectively changing the model of recruiting in college sports.
“NIL is not a marathon, it’s a race,” Dillingham expressed. “This is an 18-month race, and we’re in the last 100 meters of this 400. I think the guys want to be here and be Sun Devils. They’re happy here, they’re proud to be here, and they’ve taken some pride in doing what they’ve done in getting this place back in the right direction. If we as an alumni, fan base, and institution can back that, I think we can retain the roster.”
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