Rookie Cam Skattebo Sparks Giants’ Turnaround with Touchdown vs. Eagles

Caspian Beaumont

When Cam Skattebo, a 23‑year‑old running back drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, stepped onto the field at MetLife Stadium on October 10, 2025, the crowd didn’t just hear a roar—they felt a jolt of energy that helped the New York Giants pull ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles. The rookie’s 4‑yard plunge into the end zone marked his third touchdown of the season, pushing the Giants into a 19‑17 lead (some reports later listed a 33‑17 margin). Coach Brian Daboll and General Manager Joe Schoen both praised the play, noting how Skattebo’s burst of speed and never‑quiet personality have become a catalyst for a team that stared at 0‑3 only weeks earlier.

College Journey and Early Promise

Skattebo’s path to the NFL began in the small town of Rio Linda, California, where he broke out at Rio Linda High School with a jaw‑dropping 3,550 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns in his junior year. Those numbers earned him a scholarship from Sacramento State Hornets, making him the only Division I offer he received out of high school. After two seasons of grinding out yards in the Big Sky Conference, he transferred to the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe, Arizona, where he finished his collegiate career against Pac‑12 competition.

At Arizona State, Skattebo added a 1,112‑yard season to his résumé, showcasing a blend of power and elusiveness that caught the eye of NFL scouts. His senior year featured a 285‑yard game against USC, a performance that would later be referenced by Giants’ scouts during the draft process.

Rookie Season Highlights

Drafted 108th overall in April 2025, Skattebo entered a Giants backfield that had struggled to find consistency. He made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys, a game that saw him rattled by a strong defensive front but left a lingering sense that he was still finding his rhythm. The following week, after a modest showing, he exploded for 121 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3. That performance included a 55‑yard breakaway that put the Giants within striking distance of a comeback.

His third touchdown came on the night of the Eagles game, when he slipped through a collapsing pocket and hammered the ball home from four yards out. The play was captured on the Giants’ official video feed and instantly became a meme among fans, who began chanting his trademark “Woooooo!” during subsequent home games.

• Rushing yards in first three games: 342
• Touchdowns: 3
• Average yards per carry: 5.1
• Longest run: 55 yards vs. Chiefs

Memorable Media Moment

It wasn’t just on the field that Skattebo turned heads. On September 19, 2025, at the Quest Diagnostic Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, he interrupted a routine press conference led by Daboll. Skattebo slipped behind the media pack, gave a sarcastic, side‑armed wave to the coach, and then shouted his signature “Wooooooooooooooo!” as he sprinted onto the field in a burst of kid‑like enthusiasm.

Daboll, caught off‑guard, closed his eyes, smirked and asked, “Sorry, Skattebo. Can you repeat that question, please?” The exchange quickly went viral, with ESPN’s analyst describing Skattebo as “football’s version of the Tasmanian Devil—never seems to talk with an inside voice and runs into telephone poles as a kid.” A teammate later recalled meeting him in the sauna and ice tub, noting, “He just starts yelling, ‘Ahhhhhhhh!’ It’s weird, but it’s also oddly motivating.”

Team Impact and Reactions

Skattebo’s energy has reverberated through the locker room. Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt mentioned in an interview that the rookie’s “unfiltered excitement” lifts the whole unit’s morale, especially after a 0‑3 start. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (added for context, though not a primary entity) noted that the running game’s resurgence forces opponents to respect the Giants’ ground attack, opening up play‑action passes for the aerial corps.

The Giants’ record improved to 2‑3 after the Eagles win, and analysts from the “Big Blue View” site argued that “Skattebo and quarterback Jaxson Dart may be the duo that leads the Giants out of the wilderness.” The narrative shifted from “staring at 0‑3” to “building momentum,” a sentiment echoed by fans lining up at MetLife Stadium for the next home game.

What Lies Ahead for the Giants

Looking forward, the Giants face a daunting schedule: a mid‑season clash with the New York Jets, a road test at the Chicago Bears, and a pivotal matchup against the eventual AFC champion, the Chiefs, later in the year. Skattebo’s durability will be under scrutiny, especially given the physical toll of a 215‑lb frame taking repeated hits.

Coach Daboll has hinted in a Monday‑morning press briefing that the offensive playbook will feature more “zone‑reading” runs to exploit Skattebo’s vision. If his rookie year trajectory holds, the New York Giants could finish the season with a respectable 9‑8 record and a wild‑card berth—a dramatic turnaround from the early‑season gloom.

Background: Giants’ Struggles in 2025

The 2025 Giants entered the season with a revamped front office. Joe Schoen, hired in the summer of 2024, aimed to rebuild a roster that had missed the playoffs for three straight years. Daboll, appointed as head coach in 2023, has been praised for his adaptive schemes but faced criticism when the team slumped to 0‑2 after losses to the Cowboys and Steelers.

Those early defeats sparked a narrative of “wilderness” among local media, a label the franchise was eager to shed. Skattebo’s emergence, coupled with a refreshed offensive line that finally clicked in week three, appears to be the antidote the Giants needed.