Sun Devils: CFP quarterfinal performance shows we belong
ATLANTA — Kenny Dillingham, Cam Scatipo and Sam Leavitt did their best to hold back tears as they tried to process what the Arizona State team had just endured. The day-long rollercoaster ride ended with a 39-31 double-overtime loss to Texas in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Wednesday, abruptly concluding its College Football Playoff run.
Coming off one play that didn’t produce a stunning upset, Dillingham said he has a lot he’d like to change about the way the Sun Devils’ New Year’s Day finale ended. But the second-year coach knows his players leave no doubt that they deserve to compete with the best.
“I think a lot of people were wondering about that, and I don’t think anyone was wondering if we belonged on the field,” Dillingham said.
The Sun Devils, who were projected to finish last in the Big 12 in the league’s preseason poll in July, have made a remarkable turnaround from 3-9 to 11-3 in 2024. They earned a No. 4 seed and a first-round bye as champion Big 12 despite finishing 12th in the CFP’s final rankings.
They looked outmatched early in their first playoff game, and quickly fell behind 14-3. But from that point on, Arizona State did almost everything it could to outscore and outlast the Longhorns.
The Sun Devils outscored their opponents 510-375 in total offense. They wore down the Texans’ defense, controlling the ball for nearly two-thirds of regulation. They shut down the Texans’ strong running game. They got a legendary performance from Skattebo in the final game of his college career. In the end, they succeeded in overcoming a 16-point deficit in the last seven minutes of the match, forcing them to go to extra time.
“We gave it everything we had,” Scatipo said.
They had a chance to win, taking a 31-24 lead into the first overtime, but couldn’t make a stop on fourth-and-13 and allowed Texans wide receiver Matthew Golden to get wide open for a 28-yard score. After five plays, the Sun Devils’ season was over. Texas safety Andrew Mukuba picked off Levitt’s pass, and the No. 5-seeded Longhorns survived.
“There are no moral victories when the season is over,” Dillingham said. “There’s no such thing. This has to be painful and painful. The locker room is horrible right now, and it should be. If it wasn’t, something would be wrong. But by the same token, now that this is over, I’m going to challenge “Our guys really think about where it all started, because it’s really cool.”
Skattebo, the Sun Devils’ relentless senior linebacker who finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, led the way as he has all season with 143 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. He threw a 42-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-2 in the fourth quarter to spark the late crowd, then torched the Longhorns for a 62-yard reception on Arizona State’s ensuing drive. He finished with eight catches for 99 yards. Despite the loss, Skattebo earned offensive MVP honors from the Peach Bowl.
“He’s a special player,” Dillingham said. “It’s just Cam. It’s exactly what I expected, bottom line. When you give him the ball, crazy things happen.”
Late in the third quarter, Schatepo was vomiting on the sideline between offensive possessions. He told reporters that he drank a lot of water very quickly and felt “loose,” but then felt much better afterward.
“He threw up and vomited,” Dillingham joked.
“That’s when it all started,” Scatipo said. “The first half was tough, I wasn’t feeling very good. In the second half, it was a different game.”
The Longhorns limited Skattebo to 45 yards in the first half, but Arizona State still put together stretch plays against one of the best defenses in the FBS. Three drives into Texas territory were stopped on fourth down stops, and another ended in a missed field goal attempt.
“We moved the ball pretty effectively, actually,” Leavitt said. “We just needed to convert in the red zone. And I take responsibility for a lot of things that happened.”
But the redshirt freshman quarterback also kept the Sun Devils in the game throughout, throwing for 222 yards on 52% passing and frequently scrambling and running from the Texans defense, gaining 60 yards on 13 carries.
Levitt’s team got hot when it mattered most, wrapping up a run of six straight Big 12 Championship wins. And the Sun Devils did it again at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, starting with a safety midway through the third quarter that helped spark a string of three consecutive scoring drives to tie the score .
Dillingham said he regretted not putting his players in better positions to take advantage of their scoring opportunities, and took the blame for the zero-coverage call that Texans quarterback Quinn Ewers beat for a 28-yard score to Golden. Dillingham knows his team fought hard enough to get the win.
“We played really good football most of the games,” Dillingham said. “The problem with football is that some plays were worth a lot more than others. The plays that were worth a lot, they made a lot of them.”
That remorse does not detract from his appreciation for what Arizona State accomplished during his first two years in Tempe. The Sun Devils went 1-11 the season prior to his arrival. He and his coaches have done their best to rebuild a culture and roster that can be competitive. In just 24 months, they have built a contender.
After going toe-to-toe and two overtimes with a Texas team that is one of the best in the game, Dillingham knows they have plenty of reasons to be proud.
“I hate losing more than anyone, but now that it’s over, you can think about where these guys have come from and it’s an unbelievable testament to the team. But, gosh, this sucks,” Dillingham said.
After their last match together, Schatepo and Levitt held hands during the post-match press conference. They helped each other through the pain as they tried to put together a special season that exceeded their wildest expectations.
“This is just the beginning for us,” Scatipo said. “No matter what, these guys will be in my life forever. It’s great that I was able to play football with them and with them.”