Kansas walked into Wembley Stadium with a little early juice and walked out with a 24-17 loss to Arizona State that felt defined by self-inflicted damage. The Jayhawks got a punt return touchdown to spark the day in the inaugural Union Jack Classic, but that momentum evaporated fast. By the end of the first half and the start of the second, the Sun Devils had ripped off 14 points in 36 seconds, and Kansas never fully recovered.
There were bright spots in the mess, though, and none shined brighter than defensive end Leroy Harris III. The Chattanooga transfer kept living in Arizona State’s backfield, finishing with a team-high six solo tackles, his first sack of the season and two more tackles for loss.
He was disruptive from start to finish, and after also forcing a fumble and blocking a field goal attempt against Missouri a week earlier, he’s stacking up the kind of tape that should get NFL scouts paying attention. Harris was a major reason Kansas had a chance for so long.
Tate Nagy also gave Kansas a rare offensive pulse. The slot receiver, son of former NFL head coach Matt Nagy, caught his second touchdown of the season and finished with 61 receiving yards on three catches. With Cam Pickett still dealing with a lower-leg injury that has bothered him for months, Nagy has continued to thrive inside and keep the offense from going completely flat.
The rest of the day leaned far more toward frustration. Dylan Edwards was headed for a better mention before a fourth-quarter fumble changed the tone in an instant.
Arizona State turned that giveaway into a quick trip to the red zone and an easy one-play touchdown. Yasin Willis also lost a fumble and was later seen in a walking boot in the second half after suffering a severe injury.
The offense never found its rhythm, and offensive play-caller Andy Kotelnicki deserves plenty of the heat. In the first half, Kansas repeatedly leaned on third-down handoffs that had little chance of reaching the sticks.
The Jayhawks didn’t convert a third down until the third quarter, and they didn’t score until Arizona State’s defense loosened up its coverage. Until then, the Kansas offense was in danger of being shut out by a Sun Devils defense that had given up 48 points to Texas A&M.
Special teams was just as damaging. Punter Matthew Gill had a nightmare afternoon, none worse than the shanked kick from inside Kansas’ own 10-yard line that traveled only 17 yards and set up an Arizona State touchdown before halftime. Gill finished with five punts at an average of 36 yards, and the performance only added to the pressure on his spot.
Special teams coordinator Taiwo Onolatu also took a big share of the blame, especially for the 100-yard kickoff return touchdown Arizona State opened the second half with in a one-score game. That play slammed the door on Kansas’ hopes and left the Jayhawks chasing the game from there.
Center Kasen Carpenter had a rough outing too, air-mailing four snaps over Isaiah Marshall’s head. Between the snapped-up special teams errors, the stalled offense and a defense that kept getting asked to rescue the day, Kansas left London at 1-2 and staring at a bye week that looks anything but relaxing.
In Other News...
Lance Leipold Is Facing A Kansas Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Arizona State left Kansas with another loss to sort through, and this one had the familiar feel of a game the Jayhawks let slip away. The offense never found a steady rhythm, quarterback Isaiah Marshall dealt with inconsistency around him, and the special teams phase added to the mess as center Kasen Carpenter and others were part of a unit that struggled to keep Kansas on script.
For Lance Leipold, the frustration is starting to pile up because the results keep looking too much alike. The Jayhawks have been close in enough of these games to make the margin feel especially costly, and the latest setback only sharpened the sense that small mistakes are carrying outsized consequences at the worst possible time. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Turned A Winnable Trip Into A Bowl Pressure Problem
Kansas turned a long trip to London into a missed opportunity Saturday, falling 24-17 to Arizona State at Wembley Stadium and slipping to 1-2 on the season. The Jayhawks had their share of momentum swings in the Union Jack Classic, including a 72-yard punt return touchdown by Tate Nagy, but they also gave away too many chances in a game that could have helped steady an early-season push.
Instead, the loss leaves Lance Leipolds team looking at a tougher road to bowl eligibility than it had before kickoff. With turnovers and decision-making under scrutiny and a challenging schedule ahead, Kansas now has little margin left to turn promising moments into the kind of wins it needs to stack fast. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Quarterback Depth Suddenly Looks Shaky Entering Big 12 Opener
Kansas heads into its Big 12 opener with a little less breathing room behind center than it would have liked. Backup quarterback Cole Ballard is out for the game against Arizona State after getting hurt in the previous matchup with Missouri, leaving the Jayhawks to adjust their depth chart as they prepare for a fresh conference test.
The injury report also shows a handful of other Kansas players either out or listed as probable, adding to the sense that availability could shape the day as much as game plan. With Isaiah Marshall set to start, the next layer of the quarterback room becomes a bigger storyline than usual, and Chase Jenkins is positioned to handle the backup duties if needed. [Read more 🡒]