Kansas and Arizona State carry real stakes into historic Wembley opener
Wembley does not need help looking important. Kansas and Arizona State do. The first Union Jack Classic arrives on Saturday with two 1-1 teams, a Big 12 opener and a stage capable of turning an uneven September into something memorable. Kansas is the designated home side, but neither team has come to London for an exhibition. Both need a result.
The Jayhawks opened with a 51-6 win over LIU and then ran into a much harder truth against Missouri. They managed 255 yards, gave away three turnovers, allowed four sacks and converted only three of 15 third downs in a 38-21 defeat. Arizona State followed a 70-7 demolition of Morgan State with its own bruising SEC lesson, losing 48-20 at Texas A&M after staying within 24-20 entering the fourth quarter.
A game with consequences
That is what gives Wembley its edge. This is not simply a piece of college football diplomacy. It is the first FBS game played in the United Kingdom, the first college game at Wembley and the conference opener for both teams. The loser leaves London 1-2 and immediately short of room in a crowded Big 12 race. The winner gets a reset, a story and a valuable league victory before October.
Kansas has also surrendered a home date for the occasion. The school is due a reported $2.7 million plus travel costs, while organizers have spoken of a 60,000 target and a substantial travelling audience from the United States. The commercial ambition is obvious. The more interesting question is whether the event can connect an imported spectacle to a British game that already has its own history and community.
Watch live on Fox One PPV. Kansas vs Arizona State, Sept. 19, 19:00 CET (7 pm, 1 pm ET)
Quarterbacks under pressure
Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshall has supplied 414 passing yards and four touchdowns through two games, with another 72 yards on the ground. His mobility is central to the Jayhawks’ plan because it changes the numbers in the run game and gives coordinator Andy Kotelnicki options after the snap. But Missouri also showed the cost of long-yardage situations. Kansas cannot ask Marshall to rescue the offense on every third down.
The supporting cast gives him a route back to balance. Dylan Edwards brings open-field speed, Yasin Willis offers a more direct running style and Nik McMillan has already produced 182 receiving yards and two scores. Kansas must establish the conventional run early enough to make its misdirection matter. If the Jayhawks are repeatedly behind the sticks, Arizona State can squeeze the edges and attack a line that gave up four sacks last week.
Arizona State’s Cutter Boley has been more explosive and more volatile. He has thrown for 641 yards and eight touchdowns, but his two interceptions at Texas A&M were returned for touchdowns. Those plays changed the scale of a competitive game. Boley does not need to become cautious; he needs to be selective. Kansas will try to make him work underneath, close the picture after the snap and force him to complete several throws rather than one.
The matchup Kansas must solve
The clearest individual problem is Reed Harris. The 6-foot-5 Boston College transfer has 15 catches for 326 yards and four touchdowns in two games. He can win above the rim, stretch a safety and punish isolated corners. Kansas’ secondary cannot let the formation dictate a one-on-one it does not want. Safety help, leverage and a credible rush must work together.
Omarion Miller and Jalen Moss prevent the Jayhawks from simply tilting the entire coverage toward Harris. Kyson Brown has added 146 rushing yards and gives Arizona State enough balance to punish light boxes. The Sun Devils will also know that Kansas failed to record a sack against Missouri. If Boley is comfortable, the field can become very wide very quickly.
Kansas has defensive playmakers of its own. Linebacker Trey Lathan leads the team with 12 tackles, while Leroy Harris III has four tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. Corey Gordon and Austin Alexander have also made impact special-teams plays. The Jayhawks’ challenge is to turn disruption into finished possessions. Missouri averaged 6.6 yards per play, and pressure that does not reach the quarterback may only open space behind it.
Two travel plans, one test
The logistics add another layer. Arizona State went directly from College Station to London, choosing one extended trip rather than a return to Arizona. Kansas played on Friday, left on Tuesday and arrived Wednesday morning. Neither approach guarantees fresh legs. The useful broadcast clue will come in the first quarter: tempo between plays, substitution patterns and tackling angles will show which group has adjusted more comfortably.
The forecast is mild but unsettled, around 20°C at kickoff with showers possible earlier in the afternoon. Wembley’s surface and scale should feel familiar to players accustomed to major stadiums, but the rhythm around the game will not. There are sightseeing commitments, media demands and a crowd split between travelling supporters and curious local fans. Discipline matters. Kansas committed 11 penalties against Missouri; Arizona State’s three giveaways at Texas A&M were even more damaging.
A British history worth remembering
American football at Wembley predates the NFL’s modern London series. The stadium hosted a United States Air Forces in Europe championship in 1952, NFL and USFL exhibitions in the 1980s, World League games involving the London Monarchs and, from 2007, regular-season NFL contests. College football’s English footprint is far smaller. Richmond beat Boston University—not Boston College—20-17 at Crystal Palace in 1988. Ireland then became the sport’s main European home, from Boston College–Army later that year through the modern Dublin series.
That makes Saturday a genuine marker rather than a marketing label. It is not the first American football game in London, nor the first college game in Europe. It is the first FBS game in Britain and the first chance to see whether Wembley can become a college venue as well as an NFL one. The associated British American Football Association fund, which has drawn more than 750 registrations, gives the event a legacy test beyond attendance.
The game inside the occasion
Kansas wins if it protects Marshall, keeps the run game alive and makes Boley check the ball down. Arizona State wins if it compresses the box, gives Harris repeated chances outside and avoids the catastrophic turnovers that distorted the Texas A&M score. Special teams could matter more than usual: Kansas has already blocked two field goals, while both teams have Australian punters in Matt Gill and Nick McLarty.
Arizona State won the previous meeting 35-31 in Tempe in 2024, another reminder that these teams can produce a close game even when the route to it is messy. London should not soften the stakes. The side that treats Wembley as a football field rather than a postcard will carry the better story home.
Watch live on Fox One PPV. Kansas vs Arizona State, Sept. 19, 19:00 CET (7 pm, 1 pm ET)
