{"id":202214,"date":"2025-10-10T05:42:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T05:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/202214\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T05:42:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T05:42:07","slug":"hes-a-beast-hard-charging-cam-skattebo-sparking-the-revived-giants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/202214\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018He\u2019s a Beast\u2019: Hard-Charging Cam Skattebo Sparking The Revived Giants"},"content":{"rendered":"

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. \u2014 Jaxson Dart<\/a> has lit a fire underneath the Giants<\/a>\u2019 franchise. But it\u2019s Cam Skattebo<\/a> that\u2019s providing the spark.<\/p>\n

The rookie running back with a nose for contact has been the kind of lightning bolt that the Giants have been missing for a while. He showed his power again on Thursday night when he rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns in the Giants\u2019 shocking, 34-17 upsets of the Philadelphia Eagles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not the numbers that have turned the 5-foot-10, 215-pound wrecking ball into an instant crowd favorite. It\u2019s his powerful, hard-nosed, and maybe even reckless style where almost every run he has turns into a potential car wreck \u2014 one that he somehow always survives.<\/p>\n

“He\u2019s a beast,” Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux<\/a> told me after the game. “He\u2019s a f\u2014ing beast. He energizes. He\u2019s a fighter. I love it. He\u2019s a dog. I love the way he plays.<\/p>\n

“There\u2019s nothing else to say.”<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a pretty good description of Skattebo, the Giants\u2019 fourth-round pick out of Arizona State. He doesn\u2019t just run hard. He runs, at times, straight up and down as if he\u2019s seeking a dangerous collision. And more often than not he finds one \u2014 and he ends up giving more than he gets.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also relentless, like on his second touchdown where he was hit at the 1-yard line, the line of scrimmage, and Eagles linebacker Zach Baun seemed to wrap him up and wouldn\u2019t let go. But Skattebo just kept going anyway, even as Eagles safety Reed Blankenship<\/a> bounced off of him. And even though the officials thought on first glance that his forward motion had stopped, Skattebo kept going and going and, on his third effort, powered in.<\/p>\n

“He\u2019s a physical back. He\u2019s a football back. That\u2019s how he runs,” said Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas<\/a>. “He gives us juice. And it\u2019s great for us, especially up front. He gets those dirty yards. If it\u2019s not clean he\u2019s going to squeeze out and extra 2-3 yards and that\u2019s good for the offense.”<\/p>\n

That style, his wild personality, and his penchant for screaming “Woo” like Ric Flair whenever the mood strikes him, has been a huge hit with his teammates since training camp began. The Giants have even embraced it too, making him a centerpiece of some of their social media campaigns.<\/p>\n

But he didn\u2019t really start to wow his teammates until he took over as the Giants\u2019 primary back three weeks ago, replacing the injured Tyrone Tracy. He ran for 79 yards in the Giants\u2019 surprise win over the Chargers with runs so thunderous that his teammates knew they couldn\u2019t afford to miss them.<\/p>\n

And they\u2019ve been watching and feeling his energy ever since.<\/p>\n

“He\u2019s just a good teammate,” said Giants coach Brian Daboll. “Energy, toughness. The team can really feed off that.”<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s like how would you not want to play with a guy like that?” said receiver Wan\u2019Dale Robinson. “I mean he\u2019s going to give everything he\u2019s got every time he\u2019s out there. You\u2019ve got no excuse not to do the same.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cam Skattebo #44 and Wan\u2019Dale Robinson #17 celebrate after a touchdown against the Eagles on Thursday at MetLife Stadium. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n

And Skattebo was still going strong late in the game, when he might have even saved his best for last. When the Giants got the ball back after a fumble by Eagles running back A.J. Dillon<\/a> with 6:50 remaining, Skattebo started their drive with a powerful run right through the Eagles\u2019 line of scrimmage. He even ran straight into Blankenship down the field and still didn\u2019t go down for another five yards.<\/p>\n

That 18-yard run was followed by an 11-yarder, and it set the tone for a final drive where the Giants never gave up the ball \u2014 the perfect ending to an unexpectedly perfect upset.<\/p>\n

Dart might get most of the credit for that win, and maybe rightfully so. The rookie quarterback was 17 of 25 for 195 yards and a touchdown and ran 13 times for 58 yards and a touchdown too. He\u2019s now 2-1 since he took over the starting job from veteran Russell Wilson<\/a> and has given the Giants an excitement they haven\u2019t had in years.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s not the only cause of the Giants\u2019 resurrection. Skattebo has had a big hand in it. And he\u2019s quickly emerged as a fan favorite too.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s been awesome,” Skattebo said of the crowd\u2019s reaction to his runs. “I mean, they feel the energy. They see it, They know we have a little something behind us \u2013 a little underdog feeling that lights a fire underneath us.”<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not the only thing they have. The Giants suddenly have a winning energy, too \u2014 something they haven\u2019t felt around here since 2022. Dart and Skattebo are ushering in a new era.<\/p>\n

And Skattebo is making sure they\u2019re bringing a whole new attitude with them, too.<\/p>\n

“Me and him [Dart] talk a lot together about getting this turned around,” Skattebo said. “Not doing it on our own, but getting everybody to buy in. This franchise has been a losing franchise the last couple of years.<\/p>\n

“But that\u2019s not who we are right now.”<\/p>\n

RELATED: EAGLES VS. GIANTS HIGHLIGHTS<\/a><\/p>\n

Ralph Vacchiano<\/a> is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano<\/a>.<\/p>\n