Cam Skattebo trick play passing TD was ultimate example of hero ball

Arizona State may have had its heart broken in double-overtime of the 2025 Peach Bowl but the team will forever be immortalized as part of an instant classic.

One moment that will go down as one of the greatest play calls in Sun Devil football history, despite the eventual 39-31 loss to Texas, is running back Cam Skattebo's 42-yard passing touchdown on fourth down that sparked ASU's fourth quarter comeback.

The trickery caught the Longhorns off guard and cemented Skattebo as one of the nation's best players this season, especially amongst the fans.

However, what if I told you that the play wasn't initially designed to be a pass from Skattebo to the endzone? In fact, it was an audible called by redshirt quarterback Sam Leavitt according to the fifth-place Heisman Trophy finisher himself.

Cam Skattebo's touchdown pass wasn't even planned, just like ASU's dream season

Sun Devil Source's Gabriella Chernoff posted to X/Twitter on Thursday an answer Skattebo gave about the iconic play.

“It’s called the ‘Philly Special.’ It was actually supposed to be a toss back to the quarterback," Skattebo said. "But Sam came up to me before and told me he rolled his ankle the play before so he couldn’t really run. I saw my receiver who hadn’t played all season wide open beating the safety, and knew I had him.”

Well, it's a good thing Skattebo could improvise in that moment. Some fans may remember his scary near-interception in the Big 12 Championship Game when he attempted to throw the ball away into the endzone on a broken play.

Skattebo's impressive ability to pivot into the passing play may have accidentally given him the single highlight people will pull up when educating future generations of his skills.

Even in a devastating loss, ASU's miracle season was still topped by insane plays that will fuel the fanbase with optimism for the future of the program.