Three Biggest Keys for Arizona State Ahead of London Meeting vs. Kansas

For the first time in 710 days, the Arizona State Sun Devils and Kansas Jayhawks will meet on the football field, 5,260 miles east of their previous venue.

London’s historic Wembley Stadium will be the setting for ASU’s first Big 12 matchup of 2026, but wherever the Devils are playing, the message from head coach Kenny Dillingham has been clear: “We’re playing a football game.”

Take away the pageantry and tourist opportunities that the first-ever Union Jack Classic provides for the trip, and you have yourself a grand opportunity to get in the conference win column.

So, what should the Sun Devils prepare for?

An Explosive-Worthy Jayhawk Offense

“They can be explosive,” Dillingham said in his Tuesday press conference. “They hit explosive runs; they are very sound on offense. They do a lot of things to put you in conflict.”

Kansas posted double-digit explosive plays in their season opener against Long Island, including a 46-yard pass and a 47-yard pass, both setting up touchdowns.

In Week 2 against Missouri, explosive plays set up the Jayhawks' two lone touchdown drives.

Kansas running back Dylan Edwards rushed for a 24-yard gain in the first quarter, setting up a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Isaiah Marshall to receiver Nik McMillan. Marshall would set up the next score, coming in the third quarter with an 18-yard pass that led to a 10-yard touchdown throw on the ensuing play.

However, this offense has the capability to either explode or implode.

Kansas fumbled the ball four times in the 38-21 loss to Missouri, losing two of them. Isaiah Marshall would throw two interceptions as well.

In the second half, the Jayhawks went Fumble-Interception-Punt-Touchdown-Punt-Turnover on Downs-Turnover on Downs, truly showcasing the “all or nothing” potential of this KU unit.

Isaiah Marshall and KU’s Play Action

“They throw (a) really good play action pass,” Dillingham said. “If you can run the quarterback, you can run the ball efficiently, you can be good in the play-action passing game, and be creative. You're putting a lot of stress on the defense.”

Exit: Jalon Daniels Enter: Isaiah Marshall

After facing the respected KU quarterback in 2024, the Sun Devils will now see a new face-not just to them, but to many.

Isaiah Marshall enters his third-ever collegiate start after winning the job this August. The redshirt sophomore was a big get for Kansas in the Class of 2024, sitting out that season before showing glimpses as a runner in 2025.

It will be a lofty task to fill the shoes of Daniels, who played six seasons for the Jayhawks and accumulated 9,282 passing yards and 1,445 rushing yards, but the potential has definitely been shown through two games.

Marshall has four passing touchdowns, three of them coming at 20 yards or more, while also showing off his playmaking and dual-threat capability with 72 rushing yards and several runs of 10 or more. Against Long Island, Marshall averaged seven yards per rush attempt.

“Good player, athletic,” Dillingham said. “There's times he throws some absolute unbelievable throws.”

His second start was headlined by one specific play: a “Madden”-like, 360-spin fadeaway throw while stumbling out of bounds for a completion.

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“Did y'all see the play he jumped and 360ed and threw the ball for a

completion?” Dillingham said. “Like, that was incredible.”

This video game-esque move may be the perfect representation of Marshall’s capabilities, with inexperience and poor decision-making mixed in with highlight-level play.

Marshall finished the Missouri loss on 18-for-30 passing, throwing two interceptions and sporting a Quarterback Rating of just 20.7

Will the young quarterback find his footing against ASU? Or will the Sun Devils teach him another lesson?

A Coaching Chess Match

When Kenny Dillingham and Kansas head coach Lance Leipold met for the first time in 2024, it was Dillingham who walked away with the battle between headsets and clipboards.

The Sun Devils out-executed the Jayhawks on a hot October evening in Tempe, including a successful fake punt and 21 fourth-quarter points.

It is that type of execution that is needed against this Kansas staff, a crew that puts emphasis on trying to catch the opponent off guard.

“I think their philosophy is to try to put stress on the opponent schematically,” Dillingham said. “I think they do that in all three phases. I think they put schematic stress on everybody involved in the game plan. So you've got to be extremely dialed.”

All three phases were present for Kansas against Missouri: forcing and recovering a fumble, several big-time offensive plays, and a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown.

For Arizona State, they are looking for improvement in every phase. Week 2’s loss to Texas A&M featured a muffed punt, a plethora of penalties and costly second-half turnovers.

Which team can shake off their loss with a win across the pond? No matter the victor, expect some loud cheers from the England crowd when the kicking units trot out onto the field.

“I told our specialist, this is the loudest you're ever going to get cheered for when you make an extra point, right?” Dillingham said with a smile. “This is this week. So you better dial it up, and we better have the best field goal block unit.”

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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