Cam Skattebo Returned an Onside Kick for a Touchdown at Sacramento State, Finishing It Backward
Cam Skattebo Returned an Onside Kick for a Touchdown at Sacramento State, Finishing It Backward
An onside kick took a hop, and Cam Skattebo grabbed it. He turned the recovery into a return. Near the goal line, a defender caught him, and he covered the final five yards moving backward while being tackled. It became one of the most replayed plays in Big Sky history.
Rio Linda roots
A state champion
His career began at Rio Linda High School in Northern California. As a junior, he ran for 3,550 yards and 42 touchdowns, and the team won a state championship. Big programs still did not recruit him heavily. He chose the local FCS program.
Making a name in the Big Sky
Because of COVID-19, he did not play until 2021. His 2022 season brought 1,372 rushing yards and conference Offensive Player of the Year honors. He was also an FCS All-American. The onside kick return was only one highlight from that year.
The Big Sky stage
Sacramento State plays in the Big Sky Conference at the FCS level, one step below the biggest programs. Eastern Washington's Cooper Kupp is one of the Big Sky's best NFL exports. With Skattebo, Sacramento State won back-to-back Big Sky championships. That success gave him national exposure despite the smaller stage.
More than a highlight
Effort on every snap
No number describes him as well as that return. He does not avoid contact, and he does not stop until the whistle. That relentlessness explains the case that Skattebo is a wrestler in a helmet, where the Sacramento State return gets its own spotlight. The theatrics came naturally.
Coaches at every level tell players to play through the whistle. Skattebo took that idea to an extreme. Defenders learned that one tackler was rarely enough. It became his calling card everywhere he played.
From FCS to the NFL
After 2022, he transferred to Arizona State. His 2024 season at Arizona State produced a school rushing record and a fifth-place Heisman finish. He went 105th to the Giants, per his playing history. It took five years to go from a lightly recruited local back to the NFL.
The Hornets have not forgotten him. Ask Sacramento State fans about him, and the backward touchdown comes up immediately. For anyone who knows him now, it makes perfect sense.