Cam Skattebo ran for 170 yards and two scores, and added a touchdown catch, as No. 12 Arizona State beat No. 16 Iowa State 45-19 in the Big 12 championship game. The win sends the Sun Devils to the 12-team College Football Playoff, their first outright conference title since 1996 and first postseason appearance since 2007.
Arizona State’s 11-2 record and No. 15 CFP ranking, with their 34-year-old head coach Kenny Dillingham, have been a surprise. They were preseason picks to finish last in the 16-team Big 12 and have a six-game winning streak.
Iowa State, meanwhile, finishes 10-3 and ranked No. 16 CFP, with their first 10-win season in program history. The Cyclones trailed 24-10 before three consecutive turnovers in their own territory, which Arizona State converted into touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt threw touchdown passes each time.
Skattebo’s 28-yard run on the first play from scrimmage set the tone, and he followed with a 33-yard touchdown run in the second half. He also had a 2,074 yards from scrimmage, a single-season school record.
Rocco Becht threw a touchdown in his 17th consecutive game for Iowa State, but the Cyclones could not recover from their turnovers. Iowa State’s Jaylin Noel had a 1,000-yard receiving season, one of two on the team.