If early overseas acclimation gave 49ers advantage over Rams, ASU has it over Kansas

The Melbourne, Australia NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams garnered a lot of attention around how the two teams were approaching the overseas undertaking in two very different ways.

San Francisco made the trip down under about a week in advance of the game so its players had time to reset their body clocks, knowing they’d have over a week on the other side of the game to get back into the stateside routine as well.

L.A., meanwhile, planned to spend more time in the air round-trip than on the ground in Australia, banking on adrenaline to push its players through potential jet lag issues.

The result was the Rams, a Super Bowl pick for many, mustering just one scoring drive while they were out-gained by 89 yards and possessed the ball for six fewer minutes in a 27-7 loss.

Rams head coach Sean McVay insisted the difference in logistics plans wasn’t the reason for the loss, but it’s hard to imagine it didn’t play any role at all.

Now take the Union Jack Classic, which will pit Arizona State against Kansas in England for both teams’ Big 12 openers. While the NFL has gotten more familiar with these sorts of trips, it’s more unusual at the college level.

While it’s not the 16-hour flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne, ASU left Saturday night after its loss at Texas A&M following a short layover in Dallas. The Sun Devils have been acclimating since Sunday and got in their first practice on foreign soil Tuesday.

Head coach Kenny Dillingham sought feedback from NFL coaches on how they handle trips like this. He said most recommended getting out as quick as possible, especially given that the Sun Devils were coming off a road game, one that was located closer to their destination anyway.

The Jayhawks, meanwhile, were scheduled to arrive Wednesday morning.

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold singled out the Rams’ strategy, as well as the difference from ASU’s plan of attack. He called the effort to find the best path forward a “mixed bag of results.”

While the Sun Devils have the early acclimation advantage, the Jayhawks have the rest advantage. The latter’s Week 2 game against Missouri ended about 12 hours before ASU’s game at Texas A&M began, giving the Jayhawks an extra night of rest.

“At the end of the day, it is what it is. Nobody’s going to feel any better or worse for us,” Dillingham told reporters. “There are no excuses. You either get it done or you don’t get it done.”

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