(Photo: Maddux Hoover/WCSN)
Buckingham Palace, the Tower Bridge, the London Eye — all sights firmly on the London tourist itinerary.
After arriving in London on Sunday, Arizona State (1-1) head coach Kenny Dillingham didn’t visit any of those.
He’s there on business.
Dillingham stayed indoors upon his arrival in London, spending the first 36 hours of the trip sleepless, game-planning the Sun Devils Saturday bout against Kansas (1-1).
After a day and a half of preparations, Dillingham finally gave himself the luxury of a night’s sleep.
“Last night, I slept like a baby,” Dillingham said. He usually sets his alarm for 4:55 a.m. every day, but, in an effort to adjust to the time difference, he slept in. Dillingham was greeted by an unfamiliar sight when he finally woke up: sunlight.
“Waking up with light out is different this time of year,” he said.
After ASU’s 48-20 loss at No. 10 Texas A&M, the team began a three-hour bus ride from College Station to Dallas before boarding a nine-hour flight to London. With more than 12 hours spent traveling and an eight-hour time difference between Tempe and London, the Sun Devils effectively lost an entire day in transit.
With one fewer day to prepare for Kansas, Dillingham’s all-nighter proved useful to ensuring the Sun Devils were properly prepared for the game.
Kansas’ offense, Dillingham noted, looks to confuse its opponent. Kansas head coach Lance Leipold is known for a flexible offensive scheme, changing personnel groupings and formations to throw off defenses. The Jayhawks might run similar concepts week to week, but will constantly change their pre-snap looks to give the illusion of variation.
Much like an American tourist learning to drive on the left side of the road when in England, ASU will have to learn to adapt to Kansas’ offbeat offense.
“They can be explosive,” Dillingham said. “They hit explosive runs. They’re very sound on offense. They do a lot of things to put you in conflict.”
Dillingham also discussed the differences between Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed and Kansas’ Isaiah Marshall. While the two quarterbacks have drawn comparisons as dual-threats, Dillingham sees their play styles as fundamentally different.
ASU was able to contain Reed as a scrambler by using a quarterback spy, limiting him to just 17 yards on seven rushes. Reed primarily uses his athleticism to escape the pocket and rush upfield to extend drives.
Marshall, by contrast, uses his legs to scramble outside the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield, looking for passing lanes rather than immediately taking off. Inconsistent offensive line play has forced him to roll out frequently through his two starts this year.
Dillingham says he still plans to use a spy to contain Marshall within the pocket.
Marshall gained national attention last week for one of his pass attempts against No. 20 Missouri. The second-year quarterback was forced out of the pocket, scrambling all the way to the sideline, where he leaped and spun 360 degrees midair before throwing the ball. Magically, the pass ended up in the hands of his tight end for a completion and a first down.
“That was an incredible play,” Dillingham said. “That was one of the best plays I’ve seen all year.”
ASU will look to contain Marshall’s playmaking – and sorcery – on Saturday.
While their coach has been focused on football since arriving in London, ASU’s players have embraced the tourist side of the trip.
Fresh off of the long travel day, fifth-year offensive lineman Jalen Klemm and fourth-year defensive tackle C.J. Fite hit the road to find something to eat. They stumbled on a restaurant about three minutes away from their hotel, where they tried an English classic for the first time in their lives: fish and chips.
Another big change for the players has been the weather. After enduring triple-digit heat throughout fall camp and the beginning of the season, the Sun Devils were finally able to practice in “football weather.” Tuesday saw a high of 73 degrees Fahrenheit in London, a temperature that hasn’t graced Tempe since Feb. 1, 2025.
“Everybody said it,” said Klemm. “They were like, ‘Man, this is the best practice ever.’
“You just felt the wind blowing,” Fite added. “Sometimes, it would mist a little bit through practice. It was great.”
Besides the game itself, Dillingham and team said they’re most excited to see the ASU fan turnout at Wembley Stadium.
“For London to be exposed to Arizona State University and brand ourselves over here, and – hopefully – have a sold-out crowd of ASU fans would be awesome,” Dillingham said.
