Arizona State is quietly one of the best offensive teams in the country

What programs come to mind when you think of football runs? Maybe it's SEC schools like Georgia and Auburn. Maybe it's Big Ten teams like Michigan and Wisconsin. Maybe the military academies and their reputation as triple options come to mind.

But which combination of words screams “Run the damn ball!” the most? The Arizona State Sun Devils from the Big 12.

And yet, Kenny Dillingham's team is one of the better rushing teams in the nation. Through three games and three wins, matching the Devils' win total from last season, they have been led by a strong running game that ranks seventh in the nation with a whopping 293.5 yards per game on the ground.

The star of this attack? Senior Cam Skattebo.

Before Thursday night's win over Texas State, Skattebo already had 311 yards on just 44 carries, which equates to 7.1 yards per carry. Only two running backs in the country have better numbers.

The game against Texas State was a particularly impressive night for Skattebo, not because of his electrifying numbers, but because of his timely play in important moments.

Skattebo only managed 62 yards in the game, but every one of them was crucial. The Bobcat defense did everything it could to neutralize the tough runner, and he still managed to make big plays when they were needed most.

He scored two touchdowns that night, one of which was the first touchdown of the game. The second came with 2:17 left in the third quarter, tying the game after the Sun Devils trailed 21-7 in the first half.

At the end of the game, Skattebo was in the lead. With 2:09 minutes left and only 3 points ahead, Arizona State let Skattebo play three times in a row. Everyone in the stadium knew where the ball was going, but it didn't matter. It was all Skattebo.

The reason this is an exciting running game, and not just an exciting runner, is the play of QB Sam Leavitt. While Skattebo was the focal point of the defense Thursday night, Leavitt carried the ball 11 times for 40 yards and scored a score of his own. Entering the game, he was averaging 6.1 yards per carry on 19 carries and had already scored two points.

The Big 12 is no longer the Air Raid Conference it was a decade ago, and the Sun Devils are absolutely built for the new version of the conference. The schedule gets especially brutal starting in October, and this team may not have what it takes to be conference champions, but it's capable of winning games and pulling off an upset or two.

Regardless of the performance limit of this program, Cam Skattebo and this running game will be a real crowd-pleaser all year long.