Kansas had plenty to stew over after its 24-17 loss to Arizona State in the Union Jack Classic at Wembley Stadium, but sophomore Tate Nagy gave the Jayhawks one performance worth holding onto.
The defeat dropped Kansas to 1-2, and the lone win in that start came against FCS opponent LIU. There was no shortage of frustration in the result, but Nagy’s day stood out in the middle of it all.
A former Blue Valley West standout, Nagy arrived at Kansas as a 3-star prospect with offers from Kentucky, Ball State and the Jayhawks. He was ranked the 297th-best wide receiver and the 18th-best prospect in Kansas.
Last season, he barely registered as a receiver, finishing with just two catches for 20 yards. His most visible impact came as a return man, where he handled 17 punts for 116 yards and three kick returns for 57 yards. He didn’t house one, but he repeatedly found room and kept coming up just a missed tackle away from something bigger.
Saturday was the real breakout.
Nagy opened the scoring for Kansas with a 72-yard receiving touchdown, taking advantage of poor punt coverage and racing up the sideline to put the Jayhawks ahead 7-3.
From there, though, Arizona State took control. The Sun Devils answered with 21 straight points, including a 25-yard pass to end the first half. Jaren Hamilton then flipped the third quarter immediately with a 100-yard kickoff return to stretch the lead to 17-7.
Kansas was pushed even further back after a fumble recovery was returned 77 yards to the KU two-yard line, setting up a touchdown run that made it 24-7 with 12:30 left.
That left the Jayhawks with little margin and even less time. Running back Dylan Edwards started the next push with an 18-yard run, followed by an Isaiah Marshall incompletion. Kansas then added 11 rushing yards over two plays to reach the Sun Devil 38 with 6:52 remaining and still trailing by 17.
Marshall then delivered one of the sharper throws of his young career, dropping a pass over a linebacker and right on time to Nagy as he crossed the middle. Nagy secured it, cut to the right, and turned on the speed after finding busted coverage, weaving his way into the end zone.
When it was over, Kansas still had the loss, but Nagy had a line that mattered: three receptions for 61 yards and 77 yards on punt returns.
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College football made its debut at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, and it carried a very different feel from the NFLs usual London showcase. Kansas and Arizona State brought the full college experience with them, from marching bands and cheerleaders to school chants and the kind of sideline energy that gives the sport its own rhythm. For many of the local fans in attendance, it was a first look at how communal and personal the college game can feel.
The setting also underscored why this mattered beyond one afternoon in London. A crowd of 46,523 came out to see it, and the atmosphere made clear that college football can sell itself overseas without trying to mimic the pro game. For Kansas, being part of that first Wembley chapter was about more than just the matchup. It was an introduction, for a new audience, to the traditions that make the sport distinct. [Read more 🡒]
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For Kansas, the most irritating part was how the game swung away from control at the wrong moments. Arizona State did enough to take advantage when the Jayhawks gave it openings, and in a matchup that never felt out of reach, those mistakes became the difference between a win and a letdown. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Commanders, Armstrong's return adds an experienced edge to a defense that could use it, but it also comes with a layer of uncertainty given how long he has been away from live action. He is back under the microscope in a game that marks both a long-awaited football return and the next chapter of a situation that has kept him out of the lineup and in the headlines. [Read more 🡒]