LONDON (AP) — Kick returner Jaren Hamilton sprinted like the track star he used to be. Defensive lineman Hyrum Vaeono rumbled toward the end zone more like a truck.
Both players delivered big plays for Arizona State in a 24-17 win over Kansas at Wembley Stadium in the inaugural Union Jack Classic on Saturday.
Hamilton returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score, Reed Harris caught a touchdown pass and Vaeono ran 77 yards on a fumble recovery to set up another TD for the Sun Devils.
Nicknamed “Turbo,” Hamilton accelerated down the sideline after eluding several tacklers on the kickoff to open the second half, giving the Sun Devils (2-1) a 17-7 lead.
“When I caught it, I knew,” Hamilton said. “I said ‘if they kick this ball to me and then it doesn’t go out the back of the end zone, I’m going to run it back.’ That’s what I plan to do every time I touch the ball.”
He got his nickname as a speedy track star in his youth.
For the 305-pound Vaeono, he said everything slowed down after a fumble by Dylan Edwards popped into his hands in the fourth quarter. The Lawrence, Kansas native, who noted he wasn't recruited by the Jayhawks, made it to the Kansas 2-yard-line.
“It was like I was in literal dream,” Vaeono said. “I couldn't hear nothing. I was just running as hard as I could.”
Two tush pushes later, quarterback Cutter Boley got over the line for a 24-7 lead.
The Sun Devils went into halftime with a 10-7 lead after capitalizing on Matthew Gill’s 17-yard punt from his own end zone. It went out of bounds at the Kansas 25 with :25 seconds left in the half.
ASU just needed one play for Boley to throw a dart to Harris for the go-ahead score.
The Jayhawks (1-2) had been pinned down on their 2 with :42 seconds left in the half after Nick McLarty’s 39-yard punt. They ran three times and ASU used two timeouts to stop the clock before Gill’s shank.
Earlier in the second quarter, Tate Nagy turned tight corner on a wall of Sun Devils to return a punt 72 yards for a Kansas touchdown and 7-3 lead. It’s the second straight week that Kansas got a special teams TD.
Down 17-7 and driving, Kansas went for it on 4th and 1 from the Arizona State’s 38 but Micah Johnson was stopped for no gain. On a 4th and 2 later in the third quarter, the Jayhawks sent out kicker Martin Connington, who missed a 44-yard attempt.
Kansas scored 10 late points to pull closer. Nagy caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Isaiah Marshall and Connington connected on a 46-yard field goal.
After struggling against Missouri last week, Marshall completed 17 of 33 passes for 235 yards with a late touchdown following a fourth-quarter interception. He also ran 13 times for 52 yards.
The takeaway
Kansas: The Jayhawks had three turnovers in the loss. Kansas’ best early drive ended with a Yasin Willis fumble early in the second quarter. The second fumble set up an ASU touchdown. Willis left the game with an apparent lower leg injury after running for 35 yards on eight carries. Head coach Lance Leipold said the team's current lack of depth at running back is “highly concerning.”
Arizona State: Despite the win, the Sun Devils will still be looking for ways to get the ball to star receivers Harris and Omarion Miller. Harris had 4 receptions for 48 yards; Miller three catches for 18 yards. Boley completed 11 of 23 attempts for just 95 yards with the TD and no interceptions. Head coach Kenny Dillingham said: "I was glad that we found a way to win, even if it was ugly."
Up next
Both teams have a bye week and return to action with home games on Oct. 3. The Sun Devils will host Big 12 rival Baylor; the Jayhawks host Middle Tennessee.
___
Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here
Ken Maguire, The Associated Press
