Arizona State is quietly one of the nation's best rushing offenses

When you think about running the football, what programs do you think about? Maybe it's SEC schools like Georgia and Auburn. Maybe it's Big Ten teams like Michigan and Wisconsin. Perhaps the service academies and their triple-option reputations come to mind.

However, the absolute last combination of words that screams, "Run the dang ball!"? The Big 12's Arizona State Sun Devils.

And yet, Kenny Dillingham's squad is one of the better rushing teams in the nation. Through three games and three wins, matching the Devils' win total from a season ago, they have been led by a potent running game that is seventh in the nation with a whopping 293.5 yards per game on the ground.

The star of this rushing attack? Senior Cam Skattebo.

Entering Thursday night's win against Texas State, Skattebo already had 311 yards in just 44 carries, good for 7.1 yards per carry. Only two backs in the nation have better numbers than that.

The Texas State game was an especially impressive night for Skattebo, not for his electric numbers, but for his timely play in big moments.

Skattebo had just 62 yards in the game, but every one of them was vital. The Bobcat defense did everything it could to neutralize the hard runner, and he still managed to make big plays when they were needed most.

He had two touchdowns on the night, one was the opening score of the contest. The second came with 2:17 remaining in the 3rd quarter to bring the game even after the Sun Devils had fallen behind by 21-7 in the first half.

Then to close out the game, it was all Skattebo. With 2:09 remaining, leading by just 3 points, Arizona State ran Skattebo on 3 straight plays. Everyone in the stadium knew where the ball was going, but it didn't matter. It was all Skattebo.

The reason this is an exciting run game, and not just an exciting runner, is the play of QB Sam Leavitt. With Skattebo drawing the focus of the defense on Thursday night, Leavitt carried the ball 11 times for 40 yards and a score of his own. Entering the game, he was averaging 6.1 yards per carry on 19 carries and had already scored twice.

The Big 12 is not the air raid conference it was a decade ago, and the Sun Devils are absolutely built for the new version of the conference. The schedule gets particularly brutal starting in October, and this overall team may not have the makings of a conference champion, but they're equipped to win games and pull an upset or two.

Of course, no matter what the ceiling of this program is, Cam Skattebo and this running game will be a blast to watch all year long.

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