London Letdown: Kansas Football Falls to Arizona State in Union Jack Classic

Kansas football suffered a frustrating defeat against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Union Jack Classic in London.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Kansas Jayhawks are now 1-2 on the season after losing to Arizona State 24-17 on Saturday in London as part of the Union Jack Classic at Wembley Stadium.

KU started the game off strong, particularly on defense, by holding the Sun Devils to just three points through the end of the first quarter. KU was then able to take the lead 7-3 thanks to an incredible 72-yard punt return by Tate Nagy with 10:57 to go in the half.

The Jayhawks stayed in control for most of the second quarter until the final minute when the KU offense had the ball from their own 2-yard line with just 42 seconds remaining in the half. Kansas was unable to gain a first down to run out the clock and was forced to punt to the Sun Devils who then scored a passing touchdown on the next play thanks to a poor attempt by punter Matthew Gill to go up 10-3 entering halftime.

From there, the momentum swung entirely in Arizona State’s favor as they opened the second half with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

The Kansas defense held strong by keeping the game within two scores until a Dylan Edwards fumble early in the fourth quarter set the Sun Devils up for an easy score to give themselves a 24-7 lead.

The Jayhawks battled back with a long touchdown pass to Nagy and a made field goal by kicker Martin Connington to make it a one-score game 24-17, but the Kansas defense ran out of gas and was unable to prevent the Sun Devils from running out the clock on the final drive to secure the win.

READ MORE: Why Lance Leipold May Have Reached His Peak at Kansas Football

Analyzing the loss

The loss was really a story of self-inflected wounds by both the KU players and coaches.

A muffed punt, an interception, a fumble, and a missed field goal led to too many scoring opportunities for Arizona State that the Jayhawks just ultimately could not overcome despite outgaining the Sun Devils in total yards 414 to 228.

Likewise, head coach Lance Leipold and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki also put the team in a tough spot with some questionable play calling and coaching decisions throughout the game – particularly at the end of the first half with the conservative offensive play calling that led to ASU’s late touchdown and the decision to kick a 44-yard field goal from the ASU 26-yard line down two scores in the third quarter.

KU is now 2-8 in one-score games under Leipold dating back to the start of the 2024 season.

This really felt like a must-win for the Jayhawks heading into the game, and a loss now puts KU in an uphill battle to reach bowl eligibility this year. With only one win and their one and only bye week coming up next week, the schedule does the Jayhawks no favors after they play Middle Tennessee State on Oct. 3.

KU must go on the road for five of the remaining eight Big 12 games this year – including at top-25 ranked Utah and at Kansas State, the latter of whom they haven’t beaten in 18 years.  

Based on the performances thus far, it’s tough to imagine KU finding five wins to get to that coveted six-win mark needed for postseason play. And if they do ultimately fall short, it will be three straight years without a bowl game appearance – which will put both Leipold and the KU football program in a very tough spot heading into next season.