Ask Kevin O’Connell and he’ll say that some news coaches have been helping. Frank Smith is a tremendous mind for the rushing attack. Meanwhile, Keith Carter comes to work prepared and determined. Combined, these two are meant to push the Vikings’ rushing attack to a new level.

All eyes are on the quarterbacks in the Twin Cities. Perhaps the best way to support whoever wins the job will be through a potent ground game. Being able to control the clock, grind down defenses, remain unpredictable, and setup play action will pay dividends whether Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy get the nod. Kevin O’Connell has consistently praised these two new coaches, Smith and Carter, for what they’re contributing to the rushing attack.

Kevin O’Connell Points Toward Pair of New Coaches

Quite possibly, leaning on Jordan Mason is the way to go. After all, he’s a 27-year-old runner who hasn’t had a huge workload to this point in his career. The fresh, physical runner boasts a nasty demeanour even if he does have limitations in the passing game.

Otherwise, the main names to know are Aaron Jones, Demond Claiborne, and Max Bredeson (the 5th-Round rookie fullback). Jones, in particular, is going to receive a meaty workload. A touch less athletic than the Jones of yesteryear, the veteran is only hindered by injury. A healthy Jones is an effective Jones; expect him to be featured prominently

In fact, Jones has been outspoken about the brilliance of Coach Smith, pointing to Miami’s former OC as somebody who understands the game at a very high level. Jones is a smart guy who has been around for a while. Impressing the veteran therefore says something.

Check out some of what Kevin O’Connell had to say back in June about these coaches: “I think Keith’s done a phenomenal job. Really being the engine behind the technique and fundamentals. And can’t understate Frank’s impact from a schematical, big-picture standpoint of really being what we want to be as an offense.”

— READ MORE: Ian Rapoport Offers His 2 Cents —
— READ MORE: The Former Vikings GM’s Training Camp Preview —
— READ MORE: Is Kyler Murray the Answer that Justin Jefferson Needs? —

To clarify, O’Connell is discussing o-line coach Keith Carter and assistant head coach Frank Smith, both of whom are bringing a fresh perspective to the coaching staff.

More broadly, O’Connell is responding to a question of running wide zone. Picture the offensive line moving horizontally as a runner glides toward the sideline. That runner needs good vision and decisiveness. When a sliver of daylight appears between the large lads, explode vertically. The basic philosophy sounds simple but it’s the sort of thing that needs extensive practice to perfect. Football is all about the details.

And, no doubt, there’s plenty of merit in sticking with the ground game. A run that went for 3 yards in the 1st quarter may go for 13 yards in the 4th quarter due to the fatigue that sets in on the gridiron. Can these new coaches push O’Connell toward being more patient with the ground attack?

In fact, Coach Carter spoke to that reality not too long ago when he chatted with the Vikings’ Tatum Everett. “The run game isn’t always pretty,” the coach said, “it’s not always even exciting. But you need belief that it’s getting better as the game goes. And the more ops we get, the more we’re going to be able to make it better as the game goes.”

Carter is speaking toward a central issue for Kevin O’Connell: being too reluctant to commit himself to calling run plays consistently.

The Vikings are moving into the fifth season with Kevin O’Connell as the head coach. Continuing to struggle on the ground could plausibly be a central reason for the team failing to live up to its potential. Or, perhaps, the opposite occurs as the O’Connell offense figures out how to arrive at a healthy balance. Doing so would position the Vikings to get into the playoffs and do damage once there.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

As we count down to the first college football game of the 2026 season, we continue our new series: The records of each top CFB program in the West against all the others in the region.

Some schools have met many times over the years, while others are beginning new rivalries in the wake of recent realignment.

For each opponent in the table below, we provide the total games played, wins, losses, ties, winning percentage, first year played, and most recent contest.

We continue with San Jose State, which has played 627 games against regional foes, winning 249, losing 365, and recording 13 ties, for a winning percentage of .407.

The Spartans have recorded the most wins () an39d played the most games (88), and lost the most games (46) against Fresno State.

Here is a breakdown of San Jose State’s records vs. the region’s teams.

Adam Ramsay-Peaty shrugged off a bizarre delay to power through to the semi-finals of the men’s 100 metres breaststroke event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Ramsay-Peaty’s heat was temporarily halted as he was on the blocks when a lane divider broke off, requiring an official to strip to the waist and enter the pool to reconnect it.

Ramsay-Peaty duly wasted no time in recording the fastest time of the morning, 59.46 seconds, with only two rivals, Australia’s Sam Williamson and Filip Nowacki of Jersey, also finishing in under a minute.

The three-time Olympic champion is taking part in his fourth Commonwealth Games having clinched his first medals as a 19-year-old in Glasgow in 2014.

Since then he has become a fixture of the gossip columns after marrying Holly Ramsay, daughter of celebrity chef Gordon, in December last year, and experiencing a rift with the majority of his family.

Ramsay-Peaty has described these Games as a “full circle moment” as he looks to reignite his career. A silver medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024 helped him refocus after a difficult 2023 in which he withdrew from a series of events in order to focus on mental health concerns.

His win in the 100m in 2014 began eight years of almost total dominance in the event. That streak came to an end in dramatic fashion in Birmingham four years ago when he trailed home in a shock fourth place in the event.

Ramsay-Peaty, who is due to return for his semi-final on Friday evening, told TNT Sports: “Job done, really. We’ve got a busy two weeks coming up, so we’re reserving energy where we can.

“Last time I was here, I was very young. We barely had any world records to my name, or known world records to my name, so it’s been a very long journey.”

Tyson Fury is back in the ring today, competing in a warm-up fight for his long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua.

In Thailand, where Fury has trained over the last year, the “Gypsy King” will box former world-title challenger Mariusz Wach, one night before “AJ” takes on Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia.

• Fury vs Wach LIVE: Follow along with the Independent

Should Fury and his fellow Briton pass these tests, they will finally square off later this year, with a November meeting at Wembley Stadium on the cards – provided the fight takes place in the early hours of the morning, apparently.

Some might argue that Fury, 37, has already had a warm-up bout for his planned fight with Joshua; in April, Fury ended his fifth retirement from boxing and outpointed Arslanbek Makhmudov in Tottenham.

But the former world heavyweight champion wants to go again, facing Wach in a fight whose proceeds will go to charity, according to Fury. Here’s all you need to know:

When is the fight?

Fury vs Wach will take place on Friday 24 July at Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya, Thailand. The main card is believed to begin at 3.15pm BST (7.15am PT / 9.15am CT / 10.15am ET), with main-event ring walks then likely at 5pm BST (9am PT / 11am CT / 12pm ET).

How can I watch it?

Fury has said: “This great fight will not be streamed live! It will only be broadcast on my hit Netflix TV show ‘At Home With The Furys’ season three.” There is currently no release date for that season. The Independent will provide live updates from the event, however.

Odds

Fury – 1/50

Wach – 25/1

Draw – 14/1

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Undercard

Subject to change:

Tyson Fury vs Mariusz Wach (heavyweight)

Daniel Baer vs Simon Ibekwe (heavyweight)

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Michael Alan Flannery vs Narong Phumrakson (light-heavyweight)

Lucas Dassios vs Rattapol Kadamduan (cruiserweight)

Mark Ahondjo vs Aekkaphob Auraiwan (heavyweight)

Arlo Stephens vs Arash Mardani (heavyweight)

Hangman Adam Page is the heart and soul of AEW. His last match in the company took place at Revolution 2026 against MJF in a Texas D*ath match. This was one of the most brutal showdowns in All Elite Wrestling history.

Former AEW World Champion MJF successfully defended his title against Hangman Adam Page at Revolution. Due to this loss, the latter lost the right to challenge for the World Title again. He went on a hiatus after this match but made an amazing return on the July 11 episode of Collision. The 34-year-old delivered a promo where he said that he will pursue other singles titles in the promotion.

Tony Khan revealed some interesting information about the former World Champion in the recent AEW Redemption media call. He said that Hangman is expected to return soon. Furthermore, he confirmed that the wrestler is going to stick to his words and not challenge for the World Title again.

“Well, I think we’ll see Hangman again very soon. We saw Hangman two weeks ago on Collision. This past week on Collision, they referenced it during some of the championship fights and the big stakes on Collision. We saw Hangman on the show last week. When’s he going to be back? I would expect him to be back soon….He’s going to be a man of his word that he said if he didn’t regain the championship from MJF, that Hangman would not challenge for that World Championship again, and it seems that Hangman is absolutely going to live up to his word because he has told me and has also publicly told all of you he’s going to come back to AEW very soon, and to be in line to challenge for the other championships,” said Khan. [H/T: Wrestle Purists

Career achievements of AEW star Hangman Adam Page

Hangman Adam Page has held the AEW World Championship twice, the AEW World Tag Team Championship twice, and the AEW World Trios Championship once.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Anxious Millennial Cowboy. The Continental or the International Championships will certainly look great on his shoulder.