Coming into Saturday’s matchup ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 2021, ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham wanted to guard against his team getting caught up in the high emotions that accompanied this sold-out game in Tempe.
But despite the Senior Day narrative surrounding the contest, let alone ASU being favored by three points against No. 14 BYU, senior running back Cam Skattebo and redshirt senior Xavier Guillory looked past the hype and willed the Sun Devils to their third top 25 victory of the year, 28-23 over BYU.
Skattebo scored a career-high single game three touchdowns, registering 147 rushing yards on 28 carries, with his third score being the flashiest. After the touchdown, Skattebo ran to the edge of the end zone near the crowd and signed a football held by Youtuber A.J. Greene. Skattebo was flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, and head coach Kenny Dillingham gave him an earful on the sideline after the play.
“That’s one of my boys,” Skattebo said, with Dillingham looking at him like a dad who just can’t stay mad at his son. “The touchdown before he held the ball out, and I told my linemen next touchdown I’m going to go try to sign his ball and tried to get them behind me so the refs don’t see it. That was 100% on me, and it definitely won’t happen again. The feeling after scoring the touchdown was awesome.”
In his time at ASU, Skattebo has always displayed dominance on the ground, but the main difference between the two years was the success and unity of the team. Skattebo finished last year with 788 rushing yards and nine touchdowns but was a one-man show at times. Over the summer, he became lighter, dropping down to 225 pounds, and became a leader on this team.
With the chance of Skattebo being drafted to the NFL, he believes none of this would have happened without the support that Dillingham has shown and the ways in which his head coach has pushed him to maximize his talent.
“He’s challenged me every day I’ve been here,” Skattebo added. “He knows when I’m having an off day, and he gets on me about it. I’m doing my best to put in the work because I know I could play at the next level, but if I don’t put in the work, it’s not going to happen. With him challenging me, it’s all paying off, and that’s why I respect him so much.”
Guillory had just one catch, and was it ever crucial in a close win. Hid 61-yard touchdown reception thanks to redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt’s pass was the final score by the Sun Devils and ultimately the difference on the scoreboard.
Guillory transferred from Idaho State last year and has 15 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns this year. Even in a secondary role this season, he made sure that he would step up when called upon, and that manifested itself on Saturday.
“I’ve just stayed ready,” Guillory commented. “Playing in this offense with Skattebo and (Jordyn) Tyson, who I think are top players in the country at their position, has helped me stay ready, and that’s been the motto that all the receivers have followed. It felt awesome that Sam trusted me in that play, and it turned out to be a big play when it came down to it.”
Guillory has been part of a receiver group that has seen tremendous growth over the course of the season. The receiver that has had the most notable growth has been redshirt sophomore Jordyn Tyson, but everyone else in that room has progressed in their game in ways that don’t show up on the stat sheet. Part of that is due to the new receivers coach, Hines Ward, who has emphasized the importance of blocking as a receiver that the group has bought into.
“When we watch our film, we want it to be different,” Guillory said. “Running down the field and blocking and playing with high energy and each other have been harped on, and we just want our film to look different from the rest of the receivers in the country. It shows up on Saturday. It came down to the wire, and the team trusted us to win the game.”
The play that displayed Tyson’s growth the most was on his longest catch of the day, where he finished up a 54-yard catch by wrapping both of his arms around the ball as he was being tackled. He’s had two fumbles lost in games this year after picking up big yardage, and little things like that not only give his team a better chance to win but also show his progression over the season.
“I’ve had two big fumbles that kept guys in the game,” Tyson recalled. “Keeping the ball wrapped up is one of our key topics in our team meetings. The details, fundamentals, route depth, and the little stuff is big. The big stuff is easy, but the little stuff is what really matters when it comes down to it.”
For the first time since 2004, the Sun Devils finished a season undefeated at home, beating all six teams that walked into Tempe. Dillingham has talked all year about “Activating the Valley,” and his energy has taken the nation by storm. Earlier in the day on College GameDay, legendary college football coach Nick Saban, who won seven national championships during his time with Alabama and LSU, shouted out Dillingham and what he’s done at ASU.
With the Sun Devils in the spotlight this year, the culture Dillingham has brought is the beginning of a new time in Tempe. Going from last in the Big 12 in the preseason rankings to now having a chance to finish first in the conference is a turnaround unheard of, but Dillingham isn’t finished.
“We’re going to have a lot more games where this state wants to show up,” Dillingham expressed. “Why would you not want to be in that environment? All it is, is the fanbase saying, ‘This is what we choose to do.’ So, buy your tickets, donate to keep our team, and let’s repeat next year and run it back at home.”
The 2024 season is also the first time the Sun Devils have reached the nine-win mark after finishing 10-3 and a Sun Bowl victory. As an Arizona native and ASU alumni, Dillingham saw the success the Sun Devils had in the mid-2010s and has replicated that in his second season. The big difference between the 2023 and 2013 seasons was the records as last year, the Sun Devils finished 3-9, but 10 years prior to that, ASU had a 10-4 record.
“Both these teams are tough mentally and physically,” Dillingham noticed. “But we’re coming off a horrible season, and that team had some momentum. These guys came into this season with everybody doubting them, and they’re still doubting them. That’s what makes this special. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, hopefully, a long time, but I don't know if I’ll ever have a season that ever exceeds expectations like this year.”
The Sun Devils have limited time to celebrate their second straight ranked win, as they’ll head down to Tucson next week in perhaps the most important Territorial Cup in recent memory. With Colorado losing to Kansas today, the Sun Devils control their own destiny to the Big 12 Championship.
The message is simple: Win, and they’re in. With a loss, it gets more complicated with tiebreakers. Dillingham spoke on the importance of making sure the players get back to work this week in practice before taking on Arizona, who lost its bowl eligibility after losing to TCU. They may not have a winning season this year, but spoiling their rivals' run to the Big 12 Championship would be a nice consolation for the Wildcats.
“This feels great,” Dillingham admitted. “Enjoy it, but wake up and move on. Nobody cares what you did yesterday, and nobody’s going to care if we turn out to be a 9-3 team that misses the Big 12 Championship; it’ll be a flash in the pan. If we want to continue to do something special, you have to do it every single day and repeat it.”
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