LONDON (Interstat) — Arizona State rode a steady rushing attack, a late first-half touchdown pass and a timely second-half kickoff return to a 24-17 victory over Kansas on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game at Wembley Stadium. The Sun Devils improved to 2-1, while the Jayhawks fell to 1-2. The neutral-site matchup in London gave the game an international stage, and Arizona State made enough plays on offense, defense and special teams to hold off Kansas after building a 24-7 lead in the fourth quarter. Kansas rallied with a touchdown and a field goal, but the Jayhawks could not complete the comeback. Arizona State never trailed after halftime, and its defense forced a key interception while limiting Kansas on late possessions. The game featured two teams looking to stabilize their early-season footing, and the Sun Devils left Wembley with the win.

Arizona State opened the scoring in the first quarter when Clayton Smith connected on a 39-yard field goal. Kansas answered in the second quarter with a special-teams strike. Nick McLarty punted 42 yards to the Kansas 28, and Tate Nagy returned it 72 yards for a touchdown. Martin Connington added the extra point to put the Jayhawks ahead. Arizona State reclaimed the lead just before halftime when Cutter Boley completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Reed Harris with 20 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Smith’s extra point made it 10-7 at the break. The Sun Devils extended the margin early in the third quarter when J. Hamilton returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, and Smith’s extra point made it 17-7. Kansas had a chance to cut into the lead later in the third quarter, but Connington missed a 44-yard field goal attempt. In the fourth quarter, Boley rushed 1 yard for a touchdown, and after an automatic review upheld the call that the runner broke the plane, Smith’s extra point gave Arizona State a 24-7 advantage. Kansas responded when Isaiah Marshall completed a 38-yard touchdown pass to Nagy with 6:52 remaining, and Connington’s kick made it 24-14. Connington then made a 46-yard field goal with 3:51 left to pull Kansas within seven, but the Jayhawks could not score again.

Cutter Boley finished 11-of-23 passing for 95 yards with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown, and he added 25 yards on 11 rushing attempts. Kyson Brown led the Arizona State ground game with 24 carries for 81 yards and added one reception for 7 yards. Marquis Gillis contributed 5 carries for 32 yards and two receptions for 8 yards. Reed Harris caught four passes for 48 yards and one touchdown. Omarion Miller added three receptions for 18 yards, while Jalen Moss had one catch for 14 yards and one punt return for 7 yards. Nick McLarty punted nine times for 382 yards, including the 42-yard punt that was returned for a Kansas touchdown. Clayton Smith handled the kicking duties and made a 39-yard field goal along with extra points. The Sun Devils did not produce a huge passing day, but they controlled enough clock with Brown and Gillis and made the most of their scoring chances.

Owen Long paced the Arizona State defense with 12 tackles and one interception. Martell Hughes added 11 tackles. Montana Warren recorded eight tackles, while Ashton Stamps had seven. Lyrik Rawls and Adrian Wilson each finished with five tackles. Jalen Thompson added four tackles. Rodney Bimage Jr. and Jessiah McGrew each had three tackles. C.J. Fite registered one tackle and one sack. The Sun Devils’ defense bent at times against Marshall and the Kansas passing game, but the interception by Long and the pass rush helped keep the Jayhawks from completing the rally. Arizona State also limited Kansas in the red zone when it mattered, forcing the Jayhawks to settle for a late field goal after they had pulled within 10 points. The win moved the Sun Devils to 2-1 and gave them a positive result before returning to their conference schedule.

Isaiah Marshall led Kansas by completing 17 of 33 passes for 235 yards with one touchdown, and he rushed 13 times for 52 yards. Dylan Edwards carried 18 times for 89 yards, caught four passes for 16 yards and returned one kickoff for 21 yards. Yasin Willis added eight carries for 35 yards and one reception for 2 yards. Micah Johnson had two carries for 3 yards and one tackle. Nahzae Cox caught two passes for 68 yards. Tate Nagy was a special-teams and receiving threat with three receptions for 61 yards, two punt returns for 77 yards, one punt-return touchdown and one receiving touchdown. Nik McMillan caught four passes for 44 yards. Jailen Butler added two receptions for 29 yards, and Keaton Kubecka had one catch for 15 yards. Matthew Gill punted five times for 180 yards. Kansas moved the ball effectively at times, but turnovers and missed opportunities prevented the Jayhawks from completing the comeback.

David Santiago recorded four tackles and one sack for Kansas. Taylor Davis led the Jayhawks with eight tackles. Leroy Harris III had seven tackles and one sack. Trey Lathan also finished with seven tackles. Quincy Davis and Corey Gordon each recorded five tackles. Blake Herold added four tackles. Jalen Todd, Eamon Smalls, Marcus Calvin and Alex Bray each had three tackles. Jaden Harris, Dakyus Brinkley, Roman Pearson, Carter Moses, Malachi Curvey and Kevin Oatis each finished with one tackle. Syeed Gibbs and Elijah Cannon did not record a tackle in the statistics. Martin Connington made a 46-yard field goal and extra points, but he also missed a 44-yard attempt. The Kansas defense kept the game within reach in the second half, but Arizona State’s early fourth-quarter touchdown proved to be the decisive score.

Arizona State entered the game after a 48-20 loss at Texas A&M on Sept. 12 and a 70-7 home win over Morgan State on Sept. 5. Kansas had lost 38-21 to Missouri on Sept. 11 and had beaten Long Island 51-6 on Sept. 4. The Sun Devils are scheduled to host Baylor on Oct. 3 and Hawaii on Oct. 10 before traveling to Texas Tech on Oct. 17. They will host Kansas State on Oct. 24, visit BYU on Oct. 31, host Colorado on Nov. 7, visit UCF on Nov. 14, host Oklahoma State on Nov. 21 and visit Arizona on Nov. 28. Kansas is set to host Middle Tennessee on Oct. 3, visit Utah on Oct. 10, visit Kansas State on Oct. 17, host Baylor on Oct. 24, visit Texas Christian on Oct. 31, host UCF on Nov. 7, visit West Virginia on Nov. 14, host BYU on Nov. 21 and visit Oklahoma State on Nov. 28. Both teams will look to build on the lessons from the London trip as the season moves deeper into conference play.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Arizona State 37, Kansas 28. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Arizona State with a 58.1 percent probability to win. Kansas had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -5.5. The over-under line was 50.5. The Sun Devils’ actual 24-17 win came in lower-scoring fashion than the simulator expected.