“It’s the little details”: Explains Cam Skattebo’s recent problems on site

Cam Skattebo looked dominant in the first two weeks of the 2024 season. The senior running back totaled 311 rushing yards and averaged 7.1 yards per carry against Wyoming and Mississippi State.

But Skattebo couldn’t keep up with the impressive production. In the Sun Devils’ last two games against Texas State and Texas Tech, Skattebo totaled 122 rushing yards, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry.

What’s most concerning about Skattebo’s decline in production is the fact that he’s barely getting fewer touches. In ASU’s first two games, Skattebo recorded 44 carries. He’s seen 42 in ASU’s last two games.

Therefore, Skattebo’s recent problems on the ground were not a question of utility, but rather a question of efficiency.

So…what contributed to the sudden change?

The simplest answer is that the defense has adjusted. Both Texas State and Texas Tech developed specific defensive game plans centered around stopping Skattebo. Texas State held Skattebo to 62 rushing yards by using bear fronts and run blitzes. Texas Tech held Skattebo to 60 rushing yards by playing a strange front with a weak overhang defender who did the same thing, dropping blocks late and repeatedly diving behind zone runs.

Such game plans have stalled ASU’s offensive line, particularly the interior offensive line.

“The first two weeks they (the interior offensive line) were really good,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “In the Texas State game, all the movement made us nervous and made us too passive in the running game. We didn’t think too much about how to double the team, get to the second level and cover the linebackers. We were worried about how. “With all that pressure, we weren’t going to give up a duel because of a loss.”

ASU has played four defensive schemes in each of its first four games, which could explain the interior offensive line’s woes. In week one, ASU faced a defense with four down linemen. In the second week they played a strange front defense with three high safeties. In week three, they faced a blitz-heavy defense that employed a two-trap system. In week four they faced a strange front defense and a weak overhang defender on the side.

“Those are the four core defenses in college football, actually football in general,” Dillingham said. “We happened to see all four in four weeks. So there are some growing pains there.”

But beyond the opponent lies a deeper, more internal reason for Skattebo’s difficulties on the ground. ASU’s offense fundamentally wasn’t as solid as it had been in the first two weeks. There were further misunderstandings when executing moves.

“For the first two weeks we were 100% on the same page,” Skattebo said. “In the Mississippi State game, we were on the same page the whole game – and we had the ball. And then (against Texas Tech) we had some miscommunications. We just had to talk these things out and stay on each other’s sides and play for each other.”

To fundamentally improve the running game, Dillingham emphasized the importance of “pressing runs,” in which a ball carrier disguises his intended running path for as long as possible to set up blocks.

Because ASU has a wide-zone rushing system, Sun Devil running backs like Skattebo need to press their runs better so the offensive linemen can get to the second level and block the linebackers for big gains, Dillingham said.

Ironically, it’s ASU’s passing game that could help Skattebo the most in getting back on track. Due to Skattebo’s early dominance, defenses settled on the run by playing with more one-high safety looks. This sets the passing game up for success, according to offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo.

“If you allow us to have a double-decker safety shell or give us a box that creates an advantage for us on the run, what we need to do and what I think we’ve proven so far is we run the ball can leave,” said Arroyo. “So they (the defense) have to bring a hat into the penalty area. When you do that, the passing game opens up.”

“The single coverage (one-high safety) becomes apparent, the coverages become more apparent in the passing game, the play-action game opens up, the seams open up, and then you start to see some elements of the offense really start to get rolling “Take shape,” Arroyo added.

And if the Sun Devil passing game can be successful against one-high safety looks, it will force defenses back into two-high safety looks, something Skattebo has done this season.

One positive outcome of ASU’s recent running woes is that the team has a lot to learn. After a full week of preparation for Saturday’s game against Kansas, there is no doubt that Dillingham and Arroyo have made Spring Skattebo adjustments in the running game.

“It’s the little details,” Skattebo said. “It’s an accidental step left instead of right, and we miss a block, and then the defenders are in the backfield…So we have to fix those things in practice. Once we get these things sorted, let’s get the boys on the same page.” , it becomes dangerous.

Edited by Henry Smardo, Abigail Beck and Madeline Schmitke.

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