Kenny Dillingham has officially activated The Valley. The 2024 Big 12 Coach of the Year ensured his strongest message was sent on the Sun Devils’ biggest stage of the season. Arizona State established physicality from the opening kickoff that Matt Campbell’s team could never match. Arizona State’s playoff resume received an undeniable ticket to the 12-team field after a 45-19 win over Iowa State in Arlington, Texas.
Dillingham Was Not Scared Of The Stage
Early on in the game, Iowa State and Arizona State were trading punches in the first quarter. It had the feel of a good ‘old-fashioned Big 12 track meet. The Sun Devils found themselves down 7-3 with under six minutes to go in the first quarter. Iowa State’s defense was able to force what appeared to be the first three-and-out for Arizona State. But from their own 34 on fourth-and-one, Dillingham had his first chance to send a message to his team and Iowa State. They kept the offense out there when a Cyclone defense stop could have been a major turning point. Instead, Arizona State ran a play-action pass and connected for a 63-yard pass. The Sun Devils would punch it in to go up 10-7 three plays later.
Dillingham made no changes to his aggressive play-calling in the second half. One Arizona State’s first possession in the second half, they found themselves in a fourth-and-six from Iowa State’s 39-yard line. Without hesitation, the Sun Devils offense stayed on the field and quarterback Sam Leavitt scrambled for the first down.
Turnovers Were the Deciding Factor in Conference Title
Both teams had been great in the turnover margin all season. In the lead-in for the Big 12 title game, with both teams being evenly matched, turnovers could be the key statistic to define this game. Sure enough, turnovers showed up in the worst way for Iowa State at the worst time. In the first three possessions of the second half already down 14 points, the Cyclones turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions. All three of those turnovers set up Arizona State’s offense by starting their drives inside Iowa State’s territory. Credit is due to the Sun Devils because they converted all three of those turnovers into touchdowns to put the game out of reach.
Sun Devils Bullied Cyclones Defense
Arizona State was able to capitalize on all of those turnovers due to the physical domination demonstrated by the Sun Devils. Missing their number one wide receiver in Jordyn Tyson, there was a reasonable expectation that the offense would lean even heavier on running back Cam Skattebo. It didn’t matter if Iowa State knew exactly where Skattebo was rushing the ball. The offensive line consistently reset the line of scrimmage two-to-three yards forward. But make no mistake, Skattebo was fantastic in this one. At one point in the third quarter, Skattebo had more rushing yards after contact than Iowa State had in totality.
He had multiple highlight-worthy runs en route to a 140-yard first half that included two touchdowns. When it was all said and done, Skattebo finished the game with 16 carries for 170 yards and two touchdowns. He also added two receptions for 38 yards and a receiving touchdown. Arizona State’s playoff run has been running off of the vibes and production of Skattebo all season. It was only fitting he motored his team to a Big 12 conference title in their first season in the league.
Arizona State’s Playoff Resume Desevers A Bye
Early in the week, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark held a conference call with the national media presenting his case as to why his league should earn a first-round bye. Now that we all know who the Big 12 representative is, the committee hopefully will take a good long look at Arizona State’s playoff resume. If anything, the “eye test” should also be pretty clear that this is one of the hottest teams in the country. Iowa State was the best defense in the Big 12 all season and the Sun Devils pushed them around with ease for sixty minutes today. The rest of the conference championship games still need to shake out. But make no mistake, no team wants to see the Sun Devils in playoffs.
