Skattebo's do-it-all show is not enough to overcome Arizona State's 4th-down woes against Texas

ATLANTA (AP) — Cam Skattebo's do-it-all offensive show wasn't enough to save Arizona State from a stretch of fourth-down failures against Texas.

Led by Skattebo, the senior running back, Arizona State compiled big advantages in rushing yards, total yards and time of possession. The three fourth-down stops kept the Sun Devils from taking full advantage of their statistical edges in their 39-31 College Football Playoff quarterfinal double-overtime loss to Texas in the Peach Bowl on Wednesday.

“We moved the ball pretty good, actually,” Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt said. “We just need to have success in the red zone.”

Skattebo was named the game's offensive MVP after finishing with 30 carries for 143 yards with two touchdowns, eight catches for 99 yards and one pass for a 42-yard TD.

“Skattebo was as advertised,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “He got stronger, it felt like. You could see he was fatigued, too. It was like a heavyweight fight. He made some really critical plays.”

Skattebo was dominant despite feeling ill on the sideline.

“I threw up," Skattebo said. ”Drank too much water too fast and I was kind of feeling sloshy and then felt better after."

Skattebo — who called himself the country's best running back before the game — set Arizona State single-season records with 1,711 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. Woody Green ran for 19 touchdowns in 1972 and Eno Benjamin had the previous rushing record with 1,642 yards in 2018.

Arizona State outgained Texas 510 yards to 375, including a 214-54 advantage on the ground, while running 97 plays. The Sun Devils held the ball for 37:54 — more than 15 minutes longer than the Longhorns.

Texas (13-2), the CFP No. 5 seed, was favored by 12 1/2 points over Arizona State (11-3), according to BetMGM Sportsbook. The Sun Devils enjoyed a surprising run to the Big 12 championship in their first year in the league following a 3-9 finish in 2023, coach Kenny Dillingham's first season.

“That was a battle but when you look back at it we belonged on the football field,” Dillingham said. “Some people questioned it.”

Dillingham was rewarded for the CFP berth with a five-year contract extension announced late Tuesday night.

“To be honest, I wanted that to be released at a time people weren't going to talk about it,” Dillingham said after the game. “I wanted this to be about the guys, the game and the players, so we released it basically at midnight on New Year so it's not in the media because it's not about me.”

Skattebo looked surprised as he heard the coach's explanation. “Congratulations. I didn't even know,” Skattebo said.

“Exactly,” Dillingham said. “It worked.”

Asked to describe Arizona State's season, Skattebo said: “Undeniable. We fought through everything all season. ... We gave everything we had and you saw that in the game. We never stopped.”

Arizona State had to fight through a second quarter packed with offensive futility. The Sun Devils opened the quarter with Skattebo stopped on a fourth-and-2 run from the Texas 25.

After the Longhorns took a 17-3 lead, Arizona State had another drive end with a fourth-down failure. Facing a fourth-and-10 from the Texas 34, Leavitt was sacked by Longhorns safety Michael Taaffe for a loss of 4 yards.

Finally, the Sun Devils' first half ended with yet another frustrating possession. Punter Kanyon Floyd gave Arizona State a lift by completing an unlikely pass to backup defensive tackle Blaen Lono-Wong for 32 yards on a fake punt. The drive ended with Carston Kieffer missing a 36-yard field goal that was tipped by Texas defensive tackle Ethan Burke.

"I take accountability for a lot of stuff that happened," said Leavitt, the freshman who gained attention on Saturday when he said "I'm going to go prove why I'm the better quarterback" than Quinn Ewers of Texas.

There was one additional fourth-down stop on a fourth-and-2 run by Skattebo on the Sun Devils' first possession of the second half before they finally found their offensive flow.

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