Except for one house. 

While Jayhawk fans sat stunned, the family of Arizona State sophomore defensive lineman Hyrum Vaeono erupted as the lifelong Kansas fan recovered a fumble and rumbled 77 yards down the sideline lined with blue jerseys before being brought down at the Jayhawk 2-yard line. 

“I feel like I came in this game with a chip on my shoulder,” Vaeono said. “I wanted to make a big play, and it happened” 

As the pass rusher sprinted down the field, all of the hard work to get to that moment flashed before his eyes. 

“When I started pushing it, everything slowed down for me,” Vaeono said. “It felt like a dream.” 

Vaeono’s recovery was the highlight of a defensive clinic by ASU, as three forced turnovers helped lead the Sun Devils (2-1, 1-0 Big 12) to a 24-17 victory over Kansas (1-2, 0-1 Big 12) at Wembley Stadium in London. As ASU played in a brand-new place, a new face anchored head coach Kenny Dillingham’s defense amid the unpredictability of playing in a different country.

Junior linebacker Owen Long delivered a big hit on Kansas junior running back Dylan Edwards early in the fourth quarter, allowing Vaeono to run away with the highlight and his Sun Devils to eventually run away with the win. 

Long, the Colorado State transfer, was involved in all three turnovers ASU forced on the day, all of them coming at times in which it looked like the Jayhawks were in prime position to score. 

“He’s one of those guys that has the instinct to make plays,” Dillingham said. “One of those guys that prepares at such a high level that he’s a step ahead of everyone.” 

Considering ASU’s defeat at the hands of No. 10 Texas A&M last week in which the Sun Devils lost the turnover battle 4-1, the 3-0 bounce-back win in the same category was a welcome sight for Dillingham. 

“We created three takeaways,” Dillingham said. “Those were the difference in the game.” 

The first of the three came in the second quarter, as Kansas junior running back Yasin Willis was stymied at the Sun Devil 31-yard line before being hit full speed by charging senior safety Adrian “Boogie” Wilson, popping the ball into the air and into the hands of Long.

Long broke through in the fourth quarter, adding an interception five minutes of game time after his forced fumble, jumping into the air to pick off a pass headed for the end zone. 

The interception put a sudden halt to a Jayhawk drive that moved 52 yards in only two minutes and 52 seconds, calming the nerves of the thousands of Sun Devil fans that made the trip to Europe. 

The play was one of the many instances in which Kansas seemed to be knocking on the door of cutting the deficit to one score, but the ASU defense employed a bend, don’t break strategy that found the Sun Devils making the big plays when they mattered most. 

“Coach Ward had a phenomenal plan,” Dillingham said. “I think mixing up the looks of what their quarterback and their (offensive line) was seeing was working.” 

Ward’s plan worked especially on later downs, as the Jayhawks went 6-16 on third-down conversions in the contest, punting five times and kicking two field goals, one of which missed wide right, continuing to push momentum in favor of ASU. 

On top of the third-down success, the Sun Devil defense also forced two turnovers on downs and did not allow a fourth-down conversion, taking the explosive Kansas offense off the field every chance they got, at least for the first three quarters. 

The fourth quarter, specifically the latter half, made it clear that ASU’s lack of offensive success was affecting the defense, as tired bodies began to show. 

The Jayhawks put up 10 of their 17 points in the last seven minutes of the game, scoring their only offensive touchdown of the day on a 38-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Tate Nagy, son of current New York Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. 

While time of possession for the game was almost even, ASU possessing the ball for 30:42 compared to Kansas’ 29:18, the second half was dominated by the Jayhawks’ ability to control the football, keeping the Sun Devil defense on the field for extended periods of time. 

The offense was eventually able to put the game on ice, as a run by junior quarterback Cutter Boley for a first down with two minutes remaining effectively ended the contest, allowing the defense to relax, knowing their job was done. 

ASU’s relaxation will continue on a long flight home and throughout a bye week, with its next test coming at home against Baylor on Oct. 3. 

While Dillingham said there is a lot to clean up, he was complimentary of one aspect of every positional group’s performance in the contest.

“Toughness is a core value of what I always want our football teams to look like,” Dillingham said. “I absolutely love the physicality we play with.”