LONDON (AP) — Kansas coach Lance Leipold has shrugged off the suggestion that his team gained a logistical advantage for Saturday's game against Arizona State by having played one day earlier than the Sun Devils last week.
Leipold spoke Wednesday after the Jayhawks arrived in London for their Big 12 Conference matchup at Wembley Stadium in the inaugural Union Jack Classic.
Kansas played at home on Friday night, losing 38-21 to Missouri, and the Sun
Devils lost on the road Saturday, 48-20 to Texas A&M. On Tuesday, ASU coach Kenny Dillingham said it's “common sense” that teams in an international game should play on the same day in the prior week.
“When you really break it down,” Leipold said Wednesday, “the game ended at close to 11 p.m. and they kicked off at 11 a.m., so I don't know if it's exactly as much as we want to make it out. I think they got the advantage maybe to come here and get acclimated, I don't know.”
The Sun Devils opted to travel to London after their game at College Station.
“I know his point about about getting some work done before you get on the plane and do some things, I respect that,” Leipold said. “I don’t know if there’s a real advantage in either way. ... It looks like they’ve adapted really well and getting a lot of work done here.”
The Big 12 announced in April that the Kansas-Missouri game would be moved up a day. Leipold said he received a text message from Dillingham when the change was announced.
If Cole Ballard isn’t available Saturday to back up starting quarterback Isaiah Marshall, the Jayhawks would turn to Chase Jenkins.
Ballard sustained an apparent shoulder injury in the loss to Missouri on a trick play in the third quarter.
“Chase has got a lot of work this week,” Leipold said after the team practiced at the Grasshoppers rugby club in west London. “And, yeah, we feel confident that if called upon that he can run our offense and lead our team.”
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