Arizona State's Cam Skattebo turns initiating contact into an art form

TEMPE, Ariz. — Cam Skattebo puts Newton's second law of motion into practice every time he touches the ball.

The law is an equation stating, in layman's terms, that the acceleration of an object is dependent on its mass and the force acting upon it. If something gets in the way, the severity of the collision hinges on the amount of mass and amount of force — the higher the speed or larger the mass, the bigger the crash.

Skattebo has the mass with a low center of gravity, tree-trunk legs and the split-second ability to calculate the angles that will create more force. The Arizona State senior running back's speed comes naturally, accentuated by an unrelenting need to initiate contact.

“If a car gets T-boned, the person getting T-boned is going to feel it more than the person expecting it,” Skattebo said. “So I always like to initiate the pain, initiate the hit, because I don't want to feel the pain.”

Skattebo has been dishing out pain since charging full speed into his kneeling older brother Leo in the family's Northern California living room. He continued to punish at Rio Linda High School and during two seasons at Sacramento State before transferring to Arizona State in 2023.

Skattebo — pronounced Skate-BOO — has been a jackhammer during his two seasons in the desert, bludgeoning anyone who dares to try to tackle him. He ran for 788 yards last season while filling in at numerous positions and has 848 yards with 10 touchdowns through seven games this season.

Skattebo's 695 yards after contact rushing and receiving is seventh in the FBS, according to Sportradar.

“Vicious, aggressive,” said Arizona State running backs coach Shaun Aguano, describing Skattebo's running style. “His contact balance is elite. He finishes his runs and I like his positive body lean.”

Skattebo’s father, Leo, taught his sons to be versatile at a young age, which Cam has leaned on throughout his career.

When Arizona State was beset by injuries last season, Skattebo became the Swiss Army Sun Devil. His main role was naturally at running back, but he also took 50 snaps at quarterback, lined up at slot and wide receiver, took two snaps at tight end and occasionally jumped in on kick return and punt coverage teams.

Skattebo also showed some punch as a pooch punter, averaging 42.3 yards on eight kicks, including three over 50. He was one of three punters nationally with at least eight punts to not have a kick returned.

“His biggest strength is his football IQ,” Aguano said. “He understands everything from blocking schemes, to protection schemes to route schemes.”

Dishing out agony may be Skattebo's default, but he's also elusive — when he wants to be.

Exceptional vision combined with the footwork and balance of a dancer allow Skattebo to change directions quickly, often leaving defenders grasping at the air behind him.

A run against Utah on Oct. 11 showcased Skattebo's grit and grace.

Taking a handoff up the middle, the 5-foot-11, 215-pound senior sidestepped his way past a rushing defensive lineman in the hole and left another defender flailing with another quick cut. He bulled through one tackler, shrugged off a glancing blow from another, then used his hand to keep his balance.

Skattebo capped the 50-yard touchdown by stiff-arming one final defender before racing into the end zone.

“That's what I strive to do, is never be tackled by one person,” Skattebo said.

Skattebo's own law of motion makes that a near impossibility.

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