Everything Kansas Head Coach Lance Leipold Said About Arizona State, London's Union Jack Classic

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham wasn’t at his usual post on Monday morning.

The Tempe press conference podium sat empty as Dillingham and the Sun Devils began their trip to London for this weekend’s Union Jack Classic against Kansas at Wembley Stadium.

Following their loss at Texas A&M, the Devils flew out of Dallas and straight across the pond instead of returning home.

For their upcoming Big 12 opponent, the Jayhawks remain stateside as they head to England on Tuesday.

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold took to the podium on Monday. Here is what he had to say ahead of the game against the Sun Devils.

What Did Leipold Think of Arizona State-Texas A&M?

“We watched parts of it live; we got to see some parts. They’re very talented, very similar to us. Second-half turnovers, especially for them, in the fourth quarter. They (ASU) played toe-to-toe with them (A&M). You look at the stat line, they outplayed them in a lot of areas and played extremely well. They’re disappointed in those things, but I’m sure they came out of it with a lot of confidence. They can play with a lot of people in the country and will be a force in the Big 12 this year.”

What Situations Does Arizona State Handle Well?

“As you watch them, they’re pretty dynamic offensively. They’ve got a lot of weapons; the transfer quarterback, Boley, had an excellent game. Strong arm, mobile. Reed Harris, 6-foot-5 wide receiver, made a ton of plays. He’s an impressive player. They’ve got a couple others that go with them. Miller, another transfer, does a great job.

Leipold Speaks on the ASU Coaching Staff

“Brian Ward, their defensive coordinator- I’ve known Brian for a long time. He’s an excellent coach; he gives you a lot of different looks. We’ll have to be ready on both sides of the ball. Kenny Dillingham is one of the best coaches in the country. Just have to go back to a couple of years ago, when they were picked to finish last in our conference and took his team to a championship and the College Football Playoff. That said, when we played in Tempe that day (in 2024), we had a chance to win that football game, between a fake punt and some things-we didn’t get a stop, and they executed really well. Again, our players have seen that when we execute at our better level, we can play with anybody in the country, and we’ll need that type of performance on Saturday.”

Kansas’s Itinerary and Practice Schedule

“We will practice tomorrow (Tuesday). They have a lift in the afternoon, and then we will head to the airport. Fly out of Topeka, and then we’ll arrive there, it’ll be Wednesday morning. We have a decent bus ride to the hotel; hopefully, most of the rooms will be ready for check-in. We’ll go practice; it’ll be a light shake-out practice. Then, try to keep them up to a normal type of bedtime so they can get a regular night’s sleep.”

How Will Kansas Monitor Their “Body Clocks”

“We’ve had discussions with people who study international travel. We received guidelines about sleeping, when to sleep, staying up, and doing those things, because it can mess with your body clock. I’m sure it’s well documented now what the (NFL’s Los Angeles) Rams did to go to Australia. We’ve talked to multiple people; some say go (to London) really early, some say go really late. It’s kind of a mixed bag”

The Opportunity to Play in the First College Football Game Ever in the United Kingdom

“Sometimes in this age group, they don’t understand the opportunity to make history until after the fact. I think hopefully they’ll see it, and as they see a different country and experience different things and whatnot, they take that in and have a lot of pride about it. When they take the field, they’ll have greater opportunities to do something special.”

Arizona State and Kansas are set to kick off at 5:00 p.m. London time; 9:00 a.m. MST in Arizona, on Saturday, September 19, on FS1.

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