By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils won the Big 12 Championship for the first time since 1996 with a 45-19 victory over the No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones.
The Sun Devils have won six in a row and are guaranteed a playoff spot as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions.
“Special quarterback, special running back, special safeties, special linebackers,” coach Kenny Dillingham said after the victory. “This is just a special group.”
The Sun Devils could potentially land a bye into the quarterfinals of the playoff.
If they land the No. 4 seed, they could play the winner of the first-round game between the No. 12 seed and the No. 5 seed.
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Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo rushed for 170 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns. He’s a tough running back to being down and manages to break tackles.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt completed 12 of 17, including 219 passing yards with three touchdowns.
Leavitt spoke to the media after the game and minced some nice words about Skattebo’s attitude on the sidelines and the caliber of player he is for the Sun Devils.
“He’s a little bit of a spaz,” Leavitt said jokingly. “He just talks over scheme and tells me what he sees on the field and exactly what he’s thinking. He talks about a super cerebral player. He’s one of the best that I played with.”
Skattebo never takes the shine for himself. He gives credit to his teammates for why he can go out and perform weekly. It’s not a one-person band in Skattebo’s mind.
“Those guys have put in the effort to improve daily,” Skattebo said. “You see, week in and week out, they just get better and better. I don’t know how many yards I have this season, but they’re the reason for it. Even being in the Heisman talk is awesome, and that’s the reason because of those guys up front. I want to spread love to those guys because they deserve it.”
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com
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