Union Jack Classic Critical Matchups: Kansas offense vs Arizona State Defense

By Simon Carroll

Kansas will arrive at Wembley with plenty to prove after last week’s 38-21 defeat to No. 23 Missouri, while Arizona State will be trying to respond to an equally sobering result after Texas A&M pulled away for a 48-20 victory. The Jayhawks showed flashes of the creativity that makes Andy Kotelnicki’s offense so difficult to prepare for, but struggled to establish the run and Isaiah Marshall endured some difficult moments in his first real test. ASU, meanwhile, produced enough defensively to stay within four points of the Aggies deep into the third quarter before turnovers and coverage mistakes turned the game into a rout.

That makes Saturday’s first-ever college football game at Wembley particularly intriguing. Kansas and Arizona State have both shown they can make plays, but both have also exposed areas that the opposition will surely be looking to attack.

Ahead of the history-making game in London on Saturday, we look at the key matchups on both sides of the ball, beginning with Kansas’ offense against Arizona State’s defense:

Isaiah Marshall vs Lyrik Rawls

There is an obvious storyline here, with Lyrik Rawls lining up against the team he played for last season. But the tactical battle between Kansas’ quarterback and Arizona State’s strong safety could be one of the defining matchups at Wembley. Rawls knows Kansas’ personnel, while the Jayhawks know exactly what he is capable of doing. The former Jayhawk was not credited with allowing a touchdown in coverage last season and posted a 13.3 per cent forced-incompletion rate when targeted, seventh among Big 12 safeties. He also recorded 10 defensive stops in coverage.

That means Kansas cannot simply assume it can manipulate Rawls with a few pieces of window dressing. Instead, KU will have to make him question what he knows. As a strong safety, Rawls can come down into the box and give ASU an extra defender against Isaiah Marshall’s scrambling ability, but he also has enough coverage ability to stay patient if Kansas starts throwing the ball behind him. That puts a premium on Marshall’s eyes. Can he make Rawls believe one thing before attacking somewhere else?

Nik McMillan is an important part of that equation. Kansas’ leading receiver against Missouri, McMillan caught two passes for 52 yards and a touchdown in a game where the Jayhawks’ passing attack otherwise struggled for consistency. Marshall finished 13-of-30 for 168 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and he also fumbled three times. The encouraging part for Kansas was that Marshall still produced some outstanding throws, including the touchdown to McMillan across his body. The less encouraging part was how frequently he looked uncomfortable when throwing on the move.

That gives ASU something to attack. The Sun Devils held Texas A&M to just 255 yards and 4.3 yards per play last week, while their safeties were particularly effective coming downhill against the run. Rawls even picked off Marcel Reed. There were, however, two busted coverages that produced easy Aggie touchdowns. Kansas should therefore be asking whether it can create the sort of conflict that leads to those mistakes without giving Rawls the opportunity to make the play himself.

It is a fascinating chess match because Kansas does not necessarily need Marshall to throw for 300 yards. It needs him to make ASU respect everything: McMillan downfield, Marshall outside the pocket and the possibility of the quarterback taking off himself. If Rawls is constantly being asked to choose between those threats, that is when Kotelnicki can start pulling the strings.

Yasin Willis, Dylan Edwards vs the ASU Linebackers

If the Missouri game taught Kansas anything offensively, it was that creativity is not a substitute for establishing the run. Andy Kotelnicki produced some wonderful wrinkles against the Tigers, including Dylan Edwards and Yasin Willis in the wildcat, Cole Ballard in the slot and offensive lineman Connor Stroh coming in motion. Those concepts repeatedly caught Missouri off guard and produced positive plays. But Kansas never really established the ground game. Edwards’ 24-yard run was the only significant contribution from the two main backs, who otherwise combined for just 31 yards on 13 carries. Willis, after running for 72 yards and two touchdowns in the opener, received only three carries in the first half against Missouri.

That is particularly relevant against Arizona State because the Sun Devils have a very different linebacker room from the one Kansas saw last year. Jordan Crook and Keyshaun Elliott, who combined for 199 tackles in 2025, are gone, leaving Owen Long and Martell Hughes to fill the two linebacker spots in ASU’s base nickel defense. Long is hardly an obvious weak point, having led the FBS with 151 tackles at Colorado State last season, but the unit is nevertheless less experienced than last year’s pairing.

That is where Kansas’ collection of backs becomes so interesting. Willis gives the Jayhawks a physical runner who can force linebackers to play downhill, while Edwards is capable of turning a routine touch into a problem in space. Kotelnicki can move Edwards around, put him in motion, bring Willis into different formations and force those two linebackers to make decisions rather than simply attack the football.

ASU’s defensive performance against Texas A&M offers an intriguing warning. The Sun Devils held the Aggies to 2.6 yards per carry and just three conversions on 12 third downs. Their safeties were aggressive supporting the run, too. If Kansas cannot get its backs through the wash and into the second level, that aggression could make life very difficult for Marshall.

This is where the two matchups overlap. Get Willis moving the linebackers. Get Edwards threatening the edge. Make Rawls wonder whether he needs to come into the box. Suddenly Marshall has another defender to manipulate. The more Kansas can make ASU’s defense process, the more dangerous this creative offense becomes.

Kansas Offensive Line vs CJ Fite & the ASU Front

For all the fun Kansas can have with formations and motion, there is a fairly brutal question underneath it: can the Jayhawks actually move Arizona State?

C.J. Fite is the obvious starting point. The senior nose tackle has started 28 consecutive games and was graded 15th among FBS interior defenders in run defense last season. Over the past three years, his 17 tackles for loss or no gain on running plays rank 30th nationally among interior defenders, and his average depth of tackle of 1.09 yards was third closest to the line of scrimmage.

That is precisely the kind of player who can wreck what Kansas wants to do before all the clever stuff has a chance to develop. If Fite is consistently penetrating the backfield, Willis cannot get downhill, Edwards is being forced to bounce outside and Marshall is finding himself in obvious passing situations. At that point, the pressure on a quarterback who struggled with consistency against Missouri becomes considerably greater.

Kansas’ offensive line also gave us reason to be sceptical after Friday. The group committed seven of the Jayhawks’ 11 penalties, including three costly penalties during the second half as Kansas tried to stay in the game. Marshall was pressured 29 times according to PFF. And a holding penalty on Tavake Tuikolovatu also wiped out a big gain. These issues have to be cleaned up against an ASU defense that is capable of making opponents pay for falling behind the chains.

The good news for Kansas is that Arizona State’s defense was not flawless against Texas A&M. The Sun Devils gave up two touchdowns on busted coverages and were hurt by untimely penalties. So this is not a case of Kansas facing some impenetrable unit; it is about whether the Jayhawks can make ASU defend the entire field without first losing the battle up front.

And that is why Fite is such a critical matchup. If Kansas wins enough of those early-down battles, everything else opens up. Willis can attack the middle, Edwards can be used creatively, Marshall can keep the ball and McMillan can threaten the secondary. If Fite and the ASU front dominate, the playcalling from KU becomes largely irrelevant.

At Wembley, Kansas does not need to beat Arizona State at its own game. It needs to make sure the Sun Devils cannot dictate the game at the line of scrimmage.

Tickets to watch the Sun Devils against the Jayhawks in the inaugural Union Jack Classic on Saturday September 19 can be purchased now via the Union Jack Classic website

Mock Draft

SIMON CARROLL

Lead Writer, Head of Content

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST, COVERS THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS FOR SB NATION and is A college football writer for dazn.

Twitter Envelope Linkedin Spotify Apple
Rated 5 out of 5
BoyleSports NFL