Can Texas contain Arizona State's Cam Skattebo? 'There's nobody that can stop me'
Cam Skattebo does not lack confidence.
Arizona State's All-America running back has been vocal about his belief in himself all season long. And for good reason. In 12 games he has rushed for 1,568 yards and 19 touchdowns while catching 37 passes for 506 yards and 3 touchdowns. And he didn't play in the fourth quarter of four games.
After Arizona State's dominant 45-19 victory over Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game, Skattebo proclaimed himself the best back in the country.
“Nobody respects the fact that I’m the best running back in the country. And I’m going to stand on that,” Skattebo said after rushing for 170 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, and catching a 33-yard TD pass. “I'm going to keep proving people wrong. And whatever NFL team takes me is going to get a gem.”
Can Texas Contain Skattebo?
At Peach Bowl media day on Monday in Atlanta — two days before Arizona State's College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup vs. Texas — Skattebo doubled down.
"They continue to keep saying that people are going to try to stop me.. There's nobody out there that can stop me," Skattebo said. "We played in 13 games, and I've been the target on each one, so I'm not too worried. We're going to play our game and play ball and see what happens there."
Arizona State (11-2) has won six consecutive games, with Skattebo dominating in four of them. He missed the Sun Devils' 35-31 win over UCF with a shoulder injury. In ASU's 24-14 road victory over Kansas State, the Wildcats effectively took away Skattebo in the run game, limiting him to 73 yards on 25 carries.
It's a safe bet Texas has watched that film multiple times.
"If they're studying hard, there's a reason," Skattebo said on Monday. "I have full respect for them, because they understand what they're playing against, and that's why I love playing in games like this, because they constantly look at me as a threat, and that's something I've always wanted to be. And if I'm a threat on the football field against an SEC team that was the runner-up to win their conference, then I think I'm in a pretty good position."
Texas Is 'The Best Defense In College Football'
Texas boasts the No. 1 defense in the country, led by a dominant defensive line that hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher since a 49-17 blowout win over Florida on Nov. 9. In the Longhorns' 38-24 first-round playoff win over Clemson, they held the Tigers to 76 yards rushing.
"We haven't played against a defense like this," Arizona State offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said on Monday. "They're good from top to bottom. This is the best defense in college football right now, but to know what our guys are going to do against them in the matchups, we've got to be patient, we've got to find our spots. You've got to be disciplined because you can't go off script with this group. They'll create negative plays."
As good as the Longhorns are, Skattebo believes ASU has an advantage.
"We can outweigh them a little bit at times," Skattebo said. "And if we continue to do that and be more physical than them, I think this game would go our way for sure."
Texas is favored by 12.5 points and the oddsmakers are predicting a Longhorns victory in the ballpark of 32-19. The Peach Bowl is scheduled to kick off on New Year's Day at 11 a.m. MST on ABC.
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.