Arizona State, Skattebo Dominate Big 12 Championship Game

© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

ARLINGTON, Texas—No. 15 Arizona State (11-2, 8-2) dominated No. 16 Iowa State (10-3, 7-3) 45-19 inside AT&T Stadium on Dec. 7 to win the Big 12 Conference championship. The Sun Devils punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff winning their first outright conference title since 1996 behind a big-time performance from running back Cam Skattebo, who rushed for 170 yards on 16 carries and 38 yards receiving on 2 catches with 3 total touchdowns. Quarterback Sam Leavitt completed 12-of-17 passing for 219 yards and 3 touchdowns.

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In the first half, Iowa State had three drives of more than 10 plays, but it came away with only 10 points on those drives to trail Arizona State 24-10. After halftime, the wheels fell off for the Cyclones, and they had three straight turnovers on three consecutive drives that Arizona State converted into 21 points to take a 45-10 lead in the third quarter, never looking back.

Arizona State: From Worst to First

The media selected Arizona State in the preseason to finish last in the Big 12 but coach Kenny Dillingham and his team had a different idea. Skattebo referenced in the post-game interview that "over the summer the team went from being negative after a 3-9 season in 2023 to believing in each other." That belief paid off and culminated in a Big 12 Championship.

Iowa State's Downfall

The Cyclones moved the ball in the first half but came up short of scoring touchdowns. On the third drive of the game, quarterback Rocco Becht threw a pass down the sideline that fell incomplete but the officials could have called pass interference on third down. Head coach Matt Campbell lost his composure on the sideline having to be brought back toward his sideline. The ensuing Kyle Konrardy field goal attempt would be wide-left and the Arizona State lead would balloon from 17-10 to 45-10.

Becht would put together a solid performance throwing for 214 yards 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Jayden Higgins had 7 catches for 115 yards in the loss. The Iowa State rushing attack struggled to find consistency during the game rushing for 127 yards on 32 carries as a team including two Abu Sama lost fumbles.

What Is Next?

Arizona State has punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff but it appears they will not get a first-round bye because No. 10 Boise State (12-1, 7-0) beat No. 20 UNLV (10-3, 6-1) 21-7 in the Mountain West Conference Championship game on Dec. 6. Skattebo piled up 1,568 yards and 20 touchdowns rushing this season, good enough for second in the Big 12 in both categories behind RJ Harvey from UCF (4-8, 2-7).

Even though they came up short against Arizona State the Cyclones had their best season in program history, with their first-ever 10-win season. With a bowl game upcoming, the Cyclones will have another shot to improve on those 10 wins. The streak of 112 years without a conference title will hold on for another year after being run all over by Skattebo.