Can ASU pick up crucial win off of a bye week vs. Kansas? Preview, key notes, prediction

Left: © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Right: © Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Coming off of a bye week, ASU football will look to get back in the win column when they face off against Kansas in the Sun Devils’ first Big 12 Conference home game in program history.

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Arizona State (3-1, 0-1 B12) lost in its Big 12 debut two weeks ago in a tough 30-22 defeat to Texas Tech. While they could have dwelled over the unnecessary penalties and special teams struggles, ASU used this extended period of time to analyze film and improve in certain areas of their game through practice.

The Sun Devils have only lost once this season and still relatively have a heap of momentum after starting the season 3-0, but a loss against Kansas could be catastrophic and can dramatically change the trajectory of their season.

Even though Kansas started 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12 currently, the Jayhawks were 9-4 last season and won the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field, where they beat UNLV 49-36 in the highest-scoring bowl game that year. Head coach Lance Leipold led Kansas to a 2-10 record in 2021 and 6-7 in 2022 before the gigantic rise to success a season ago.

In the Big 12 media preseason poll, Kansas was projected to be the fourth-best team in the conference and has relatively played like the prediction was justified, but they have lost three one-score games and the close defeats have altered the complexion of the Jayhawks going into Tempe.

ASU coach Kenny Dillingham said Kansas’ record has overshadowed how good of a football team they actually are.

Losing its best player to the NFL, Indianapolis Colts practice squad quarterback Jason Bean, Leipold has gone to fifth-year QB Jalon Daniels who was the backup behind Bean. Through five games this season, Daniels has thrown eight interceptions and the Jayhawks as a team have blown fourth-quarter leads in all of their losses.

Both ASU and Kansas have never played each other before, so there is no prior history between the two schools.

Here is all you need to know before they go head-to-head on Saturday:

How to tune into Kansas at Arizona State

Game Time: 5 p.m. PT

Venue: Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

TV: ESPN2 (Brian Custer, Rod Gilmore, Lauren Sister)

Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (Jeff Munn, Jeff Van Raaphorst, Kevin Turner)

Key Notes

•  If ASU wins, it would snap a five-game losing streak following a bye week that originally started in 2019. The Sun Devils are 2-9 in its last 11 games after a bye week.
• The Sun Devils are averaging 21.3 points per game in the first half, the 14th most in the FBS. On the other side of the ball, Arizona State has held its opponents to 10.3 first half points per game, which is the 42nd-lowest in the FBS.
• Kansas offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes was the Sun Devils’ offensive line coach and run game coordinator from 2001-2003.
• Arizona State offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo was the head coach at UNLV in 2020 when Jayhawks wide receivers coach Terrance Samuel was his pass game coordinator.
• Kansas players with connections to Arizona: defensive end DJ Warner (Phoenix native, Desert Edge High School), cornerback Aundre Gibson (Goodyear native, Desert Edge), linebacker Jon Jon Kamara (Goodyear, Desert Edge), offensive lineman Carter Lavrusky (Scottsdale native, Horizon High School).

Prediction (Season Record: 2-2)

Arizona State 24-21 Kansas

Kansas have been hard done by this season with costly turnovers ending up coming back to bite them. They did have success in Arizona the last time they were in the state with the Guaranteed Rate Bowl win, and have the talent to still be one of the top teams in the conference. With ASU off of its first bye of the year, there will most likely be some rust after a week away from the field at Mountain America Stadium. Combining its poor record off a bye with losing its last game to Texas Tech, Arizona State could very well run into difficulties early on and lose this game if they don’t take Kansas seriously. But with it being Hall of Fame Night and the first Big 12 home game for the program, I feel ASU will just edge Kansas in the end.

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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini