Sports
USC out to prove its revamped defense can win a 'fistfight' against LSU
Confidence was radiating from Will Campbell as Louisiana State’s towering left tackle and future first-round pick leaned back comfortably in his chair this week, declaring in a deep bayou drawl his intentions for Sunday’s season-opening meeting with USC’s defense in Las Vegas.
“We know what we’re there for. It’s not to go to Caesars Palace,” said Campbell, the All-Southeastern Conference lineman. “It’s to be in a fistfight.”
He wasn’t hiding how it would be fought either. “We’re gon’ run the ball,” Campbell said in another interview. “That’s not something we’re … trying to keep quiet.”
This wasn’t exactly bulletin board material in the traditional sense. Even if it was presented that way to USC defenders, who responded with shrugs or sideways glances. But Campbell’s confident declaration drove home the reality of USC’s situation.
There is no warmup week this season for a new staff to work out any kinks in its new scheme. After eight months of USC taking punch after punch for its flimsy performance on defense last season, here is a heavyweight bout against one of the most physical offensive fronts in college football, a group seemingly built to exploit the issues that USC set out to fix in the offseason.
D’Anton Lynn, the man tasked with making those fixes, called it a “great test” of the Trojans’ evolution up front, where USC set out to get bigger and stronger this summer ahead of its Big Ten leap. Asked what gave him confidence as USC squares up with a seasoned LSU line that returns four starters, including Campbell, the top tackle in college football, Lynn answered plainly.
“We’re prepared,” the new coordinator said. “We’ve known what the challenge is going to be since I got the job here.”
Players and coaches had been answering the same questions for months, repeating the same refrain about how a defense that dwelled near the bottom of every statistical category last season would be decidedly different. They’ve pointed to the depth in the secondary and the apparent 1,400 pounds of mass added in their offseason training program. They’ve assured anybody who will listen that the scheme is smoother and easier to understand.
But in spite of his own confidence in the Trojans’ defensive turnaround, Jamil Muhammad knows nobody is going to be convinced until they see it for themselves.
“You gotta realize,” the senior defensive end said, “until you have another real chance to show what you’re working on or how much better you’ve gotten, what you did and what everybody saw is going to be on their minds until you change it.”
Can Lincoln Riley cool down his already hot coaching seat? Can UCLA’s DeShaun Foster coach the team to a winning record?
A strong first impression Sunday would go a long way in that regard. Especially if it includes USC holding its own at the line of scrimmage, where LSU is at its best. Last season the Tigers ranked first in the nation in yards per attempt (6.18) on the ground.
“Teams from the SEC, they’re going to run the ball,” USC linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold said. “That’s inevitable. We pride ourselves as being a run-stopping defense.”
That pride was noticeably absent last season as USC slid to 119th in run defense, second worst among power conference teams. But while the Trojans hit rock bottom against the run, Lynn was leading a UCLA defense that improved from 36th to second in rushing yards given up.
What progress looks like against LSU, a team replacing more than 75% of its rushing production from a year ago, is difficult to pin down. The Tigers relied heavily last season on Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels to pile up rushing yards as he scrambled from the pocket. Without him the expectation is LSU will divvy up carries among a deep, experienced rotation that’s yet to have one lead back emerge.
Though, behind an offensive line that could be dominant, it may not matter who’s carrying the ball for LSU.
“We don’t have trouble blocking anybody,” Campbell said. “You line them up, we’ll block them.”
It’ll be up to Lynn and his retooled defense to complicate that equation up front for LSU. But as USC’s potential redemption awaits, any concerns about confidence after last season’s collapse have faded.
Asked how USC’s new defense might match up with LSU’s ferocious front, Mascarenas-Arnold didn’t hesitate to offer his own declaration, one that’s sure to be tested.
“As a defense,” Mascarenas-Arnold said, “we fear nobody.”
Sports
USA World Cup star Folarin Balogun receives controversial red card during Round of 32 match
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U.S. men’s national team star Folarin Balogun received a red card in the second half of their Round of 32 World Cup matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night.
Balogun was making a challenge on a ball when he stepped on an opposing player’s leg.
The U.S. men’s national team is down to 10 players for the rest of the match. If the U.S. holds their 1-0 lead, Balogun will have to miss the Round of 16 game.
Balogun scored for the U.S. in the first half.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Sports
Dodgers’ Will Smith won’t return before the All-Star break
SACRAMENTO — The first half of the season will conclude with Will Smith in the same place he has been for the last month: the injured list.
The Dodgers’ three-time All-Star catcher has been on the IL since June 8 because of what the Dodgers list as neck inflammation. Smith said he had been diagnosed with an inflamed disk.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he “just can’t see any world” in which Smith would return before the All-Star break, which concludes July 16.
“It’s certainly longer, I know, than all of us expected,” Roberts said. “But I don’t think it’s anything real, kind of affecting-the-season type thing.”
Roberts said Smith has not been able to accelerate his rehabilitation to the point of doing baseball activities.
Dalton Rushing, who has taken over as the Dodgers’ primary catcher in Smith’s absence, is batting .213 with one home run and 19 strikeouts in 18 games while Smith has been on the injured list. The Dodgers gave Rushing the day off Wednesday.
The Dodgers were 14-6 with Smith on the IL entering play Wednesday.
Also Wednesday, the team scratched shortstop Mookie Betts from the starting lineup because of a sore right wrist.
Sports
Ex-NFL reporter Dianna Russini interaction with police officer to dodge traffic ticket comes to light
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Police bodycam footage appeared to refute a claim made by former NFL reporter Dianna Russini earlier this year about what she did to get out of a traffic ticket.
Russini, whose relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel led to her resigning from her role with The Athletic in April, said on the “Stugotz and Company” show back in February that she FaceTimed the NFL coach, though she didn’t drop the name, of the officer’s favorite team after being pulled over for being on her phone.
It was a story that came up again during the New York Times’ deep dive into the Russini-Vrabel controversy, and now police bodycam footage has confirmed that wasn’t the case. However, she did name-drop a coach.
ESPN reporter Dianna Russini looks on during the NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sept. 16, 2018. (Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire)
The footage went just over seven minutes long, as Russini was stopped in Ridgewood, New Jersey, for using her phone while driving. Not only did a FaceTime never happen, but no call at all occurred during the exchange between Russini and the officer.
What did occur, though, was Russini showing the officer texts she had been having with Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, and she showed the officer her phone with the texts on it.
DIANNA RUSSINI PULLED PATHETIC MOVE WITH AN OFFICER TO GET OUT OF A TICKET, AND IT SHOULD HAVE THE NFL NERVOUS
“I’m an NFL reporter, and I just broke that Seam McDermott got fired from the Bills,” Russini told the officer almost immediately, understanding why she was being pulled over. “I was gonna pull over because I have to make calls. I know you don’t care, but I’m just letting you know my reason why. It was a work thing and it was an emergency for what I do.”
McDermott was fired the morning of Jan. 19, which was the date shown on the bodycam footage, after the Bills’ AFC Divisional Round loss to the Denver Broncos.
The officer replied that Russini had been on her phone “for a while” before pulling her over, though he did acknowledge she had a job to do.
Russini continued, telling the officer that former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll “wants the job” with the Bills. He was connected to the team given his history with Buffalo prior to joining the Giants, but they hired in-house with Joe Brady being promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach. Daboll ended up joining Robert Saleh’s staff as offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.
Dianna Russini, left, and Mike Vrabel, right, are shown in a split composite image featuring Russini with an ESPN microphone and Vrabel on the Titans sideline wearing a headset. (Imagn Images)
Russini, then, asked if the officer was a Giants or Jets fan given the New Jersey ties. When he responded by saying he was a Vikings fan, it prompted Russini to seemingly show texts with O’Connell. The conversation, which included Russini saying the Vikings’ quarterback “sucks” and “KOC’s awesome” ultimately led to the officer letting her off with a warning.
“I’m gonna cut you a break on the cellphone,” the officer was heard saying. “I understand your job requires you to be on the phone a lot. Just try to wait until you get home, OK?”
PATRIOTS SAY THEY ‘FULLY SUPPORT’ MIKE VRABEL AMID LATEST IN CONTROVERSY INVOLVING DIANNA RUSSINI
The Center Square first reported Russini’s interaction with the officer.
Fox News Digital reached out to Russini and the Vikings for comment.
Ridgewood Police Chief Forest Lyons issued a statement on the matter.
“On January 19, 2026, at 9:40 a.m., a Ridgewood police officer conducted a motor vehicle stop on Godwin Avenue involving Ms. Dianna Russini for the use of a handheld cell phone while driving,” the statement read. “After following department protocol during the stop, and reviewing Ms. Russini’s driving history, the officer exercised his professional discretion and issued a verbal warning to Ms. Russini.
Dianna Russini attends the 2026 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at Pier 48 in San Francisco, California, on Feb. 7, 2026. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
“The use of officer discretion in determining whether to issue a warning or a citation is consistent with Ridgewood Police Department policy and longstanding practice. Police officers are encouraged to use their judgment and, when appropriate, provide motorists with warnings as part of the Department’s commitment to fair, impartial and community-oriented policing.”
Russini resigned from her post at The Athletic amid mounting criticism over her relationship with Vrabel after photographs of them hugging and holding hands at a private resort in Sedona, Arizona, went viral. After initially trying to downplay it, saying “reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues,” Russini ultimately released her resignation.
After the original photos, others dating back to 2020 showed Vrabel and Russini kissing at a bar in New York City. The pictures exclusively obtained by the New York Post were taken in the early hours of March 11, 2020.
“They were kissing, and they were all over each other,” an eyewitness told the outlet. “He had a ring on.”
Dianna Russini appears on the red carpet prior to the NFL Honors awards presentation at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 10, 2022. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
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While Russini resigned, Vrabel was back with the Patriots after a counseling visit, which fell on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Vrabel said he had difficult conversations with his family, while also speaking with his players about the situation. The Patriots said before the draft they “fully support” Vrabel, allowing him to seek the counseling he desired despite four rounds of the draft still remaining.
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