Excitement was brewing Saturday morning in Tempe for a top-25 clash with ASU in the country's eye after making it to No. 21 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
Student tickets sold out fast and remaining tickets were the weekend's most expensive in NCAA football for a matchup with championship implications, something Tempe hasn't seen in a decade.
Mountain America Stadium's 53,599 seats were filled with fans donning BYU blue and ASU gold. The stadium was soon buzzing with screams of both excitement and defeat as ASU redshirt sophomore defensive back Javan Robinson intercepted BYU redshirt junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff to seal the game for the Sun Devils.
The No. 21 Sun Devils beat the No. 14 Cougars 28-23 to stay in the Big 12 title and College Football Playoff races.
"We beat another ranked team in Mountain America Stadium," said ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham. "This is all about the guys; I mean, these guys battled, these guys fought, these guys found a way to win."
Battled is the right word to describe senior running back Cam Skattebo's performance. His touchdown hat trick in the first half helped ASU jump out to a 21-3 lead. The Sun Devils won the battle in the trenches, out-gaining the Cougars 154-94 on the ground with Skattebo rushing for 147 yards alone.
"I'm doing my best to put the work in," Skattebo said. "I understand the talent I have and I could play at the next level, but if I don't put the work in then it's not going to happen."
ASU built an early 14-0 lead after Skattebo's second touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, the Sun Devils attempted an onside kick which they recovered. The gamble paid off as ASU took a 21-0 lead minutes later.
"That was a squib kick," Dillingham said. "When we squib it, the way they angled their dude, we said, let's squib it, but we also tried to hit him on the way to the squib. So if it hits him, we have a chance to recover it."
Coming out of halftime, the stadium's energy was high with the Sun Devils up 21-3 on the No. 14 team in the country. Slowly, that excitement died down as the Cougars battled their way back. A jet sweep on the one-yard line to BYU junior receiver Keelon Marion cut the ASU lead to just 28-23.
Students rushed the field twice, the first time with one second still left on the clock. On the second go around, once the victory was solidified, Sun Devil faithfuls celebrated the third top-25 win of the season.
Regardless, the Sun Devils held on and kept their name in the Big 12 championship race. The Sun Devils improved to 9-2 overall and 6-2 in conference play after being picked last in the Big 12 preseason poll.
"These guys came off with no momentum with everybody doubting them," Dillingham said. "Everybody's still doubting them, and that's what makes this special."
Edited by Jack Barron, Sophia Braccio and Natalia Jarrett.
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Daniel is a senior studying sports journalism. This is his first semester with The State Press. He has also worked at WCSN, OC Riptide, 1550 Sports and AZPreps365.
