College American football officially crash landed in London as Arizona State beat Kansas University 24-17 in the inaugural Union Jack Classic.
The Sun Devils held off a late Jayhawks surge to claim a first Big 12 conference victory on Saturday night.
Wembley Stadium bore witness to what ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham labelled “the pageantry” of college football as tailgates, cheerleaders, and marching bands were out in full force throughout the event.
Special teams dominate as both offences fail to impress
Arizona State took an early lead through a Carson Smith field goal before Kansas quickly responded with a stunning 72-yard punt return touchdown from running back Tate Nagy and led into the final minute of the half.
That’s when ASU quarterback Cutter Boley recovered from earlier mistakes to pick out wide receiver Reed Harris, highly tipped to be drafted to the NFL, with 30 seconds to go.
ASU’s Jaren Hamilton got the second half off to an emphatic start as he caught the kick-off right in front of his own endzone and sprinted the length of the field to score.
Sun Devils’ defensive lineman Hyrum Vaeono capitalised on a Jayhawks fumble seven minutes into the final quarterand looked certain to score but fell on the one-yard line. Boley forced his own way over on the following play.
Kansas eventually scored their first passing touchdown with six and a half minutes to go as Nagy bagged his second of the night following a superbly executed in-route from 36 yards. A first field goal for Martin Connington – after his horrible miss in the second quarter – further reduced the deficit to seven points.
Although a late comeback seemed to be on the cards for Kansas, Arizona State held on and kneeled out the final two minutes to seal the win.
London hailed as a great experience by both sides
Both head coaches were full of praise about the opportunity to participate in the Union Jack Classic.
In response to a question about the trip itself, Kansas head coach Lance Liepold said: “It was a very good experience.”
His quarterback Isaiah Marshall added: “As soon as we walked out on the field it felt great. It was a packed out stadium. It was a great vibe.”
Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham told the media he made sure all 105 players were factored into the trip planning, whether injured or otherwise.
He said: “I’m not going to let one player miss out on this opportunity. If you’re bringing your players out here, don’t cheat them of that experience.”
His players certainly agreed. In response to being asked about playing at Wembley, Vaeono added: “We made history.”
And when asked about bringing college football to a new audience, Hamilton said: “We really put ourselves on the map.”
Wembley was awash with supporters from both colleges. Seven thousand turned up to the pre-game Big Noon event with Fox Sports.
The official attendance was recorded as 46,523 for the first ever college football game between two FBS teams in the UK.
The only previous college match held in the country was the Imperial Bowl in 1988. The University of Richmond beat Boston University 20-17.
All pictures courtesy of Lily Saunders
Join the discussion