Well, the Arizona State Sun Devils’ head coach must be tapping into a ‘no mess up’ mode. After two seasons, it’s make-or-break for Kenny Dillingham. They did prove themselves, coming up with an 11-3 run last year. But time for a reality check. That magic will no way be easy to repeat. After all, his quarterback, Sam Leavitt, is still carrying the big guilt of how he and his teammates faltered in their playoff run last season. That ‘oh no, we missed it by a hair’s breadth’ still continues to haunt Leavitt. Plus, his heart still craves for his old mate, Cam Skattebo, as he made a big admission about the former Sun Devils’ running back.
Last season, Dillingham’s defense finished third in the Big 12 in points per game, allowing an average of 22.6. The same defense restricted Iowa State, which averaged over 31 points per game, to just 19 in the conference championship showdown. Moving onto 2025, Leavitt is returning to gift something grander. His eyes are fixed on the bull’s eye (oops, whiteboard). It reads, “How great do you want to be?” Leavitt himself comes off strong, having the right weapons. His strong, accurate right arm that has produced 2,663 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. Also, his mobility factor is a big USP. But no matter what, he can’t get rid of the heavy feeling, carrying the burden of the big oopsie moments from the last season. One of them is their 31-29 loss to Texas.
On the May 22nd episode of The Matt Barrie Show, the host pulled off the band-aid from their Peach Bowl loss wounds. And how is Leavitt coping with it? Not quite good. “You know the whole time I was like, ‘We just need one play to pop like we need a big play or we really didn’t even need a huge play we were we were playing pretty.’ Well, we just need we needed to finish in the red zone, which we weren’t, and that was the most frustrating part.” Arizona State held onto the ball for nearly three times as long as Texas, 32:49 to 12:11 through three quarters. But the Sun Devils simply couldn’t close the deal. It took Leavitt and co. five drives to get inside the Texas 40. The result?
Three of those went into the red zone, and came away with a total of only three points. Now that four months have passed, is Leavitt finally over the mistakes? No way. The weight of that regret eats away at him daily. “I don’t know if I’m still over it…there’s just so many plays that could have been made you know out there and you know it was like you know you always have plays that you’re supposed to have made in the game…there was so many that it was ridiculous.” So, has Leavitt given up all hope about making a fiery comeback this season? Surprisingly no. It gives him the confidence that he and his mates have the potential to go far and beyond. But again. He won’t be having his favorite Skattebo by his side this time.
Sam Leavitt graded his mentor with a heartfelt tribute
The running back is now gracing the New York Giants’ hood. But somebody back at Sun Devils camp still misses him every day. That’s none other than Leavitt. Well, Arizona State fans must still be remembering their game against Iowa State. Leavitt took the snap and handed off to Skattebo with only 13 minutes and 46 seconds left in the second quarter. The running back rushed to the D-line, cuts through it as smooth as a knife sliding through a slab of butter, that’s when he gets pounced upon by two cornerbacks on either side. Shrugging them off and a couple of others that came his way, he ultimately got tackled near the 25-yard line.
Even though the gameplay did not transpire in a way they had envisioned, it left Leavitt with a lesson. How to push your way through the odds. So, even after Skattebo parted ways, Leavitt could not stop talking about him. On the ESPN podcast, the quarterback came up with a report card for his old mate. “You talk about a player that is just so special in terms of not only the plays that he makes physically but also the way that his presence is felt on the field. The physicality that he brings sets the tone. The comfort that he gives teammates.”
Forget learning it from Cam Skattebo’s gridiron action. The offline catching-up sessions were equally enlightening. As Sam Leavitt shared, “I would just be in the backfield just talking to him the whole time, you know, and it was super fun because the way that he views the game is so special. He’s such a brilliant mind, and he views it so uniquely.” Now that his guide is chasing bigger goals, the baton passes to Leavitt—to lead, to shine, and to make Skattebo proud.
The post Sam Leavitt Forced to Make ‘Frustrating’ CFP Confession After Turning Heads With Big Cam Skattebo Admission appeared first on EssentiallySports.
