Tag: tosh lupoi

Increased depth allowing Tosh Lupoi, Dan Lanning to expand Oregon’s defensive scheme

Oregon DC Tosh Lupoi is talking about rabbits, raptors and bears when diving into the Ducks’ defense in 2024.

When Dan Lanning took the head coaching job for the Oregon Ducks back in December 2021, there was an idea that his defensive prowess would pay massive dividends in Eugene.

Over the past two seasons, we’ve seen that start to take root with the Ducks as they’ve steadily improved on that side of the ball. One of the biggest things needed to build and develop was the personnel on the team, with Lanning and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi getting the players that fit their scheme on the roster.

Heading into the 2024 season, the Ducks now have the dudes, and the depth, necessary for Lanning and Lupoi to spread their wings.

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So what will that look like this fall? According to Lupoi, more looks, more packages, and more creativity in play-calling.

“As we establish more depth that we feel more comfortable about, you’re going to see more packages,” Lupoi said on Tuesday. “So certainly, dime, nickel, nickel rabbits, dime rabbits, raptors, base, bear, and then a new one that you’ll see out there on game one.”

To the average college football fan, it may sound like Oregon’s DC is reading from a children’s book, but in reality, it means that the Ducks are planning to be more multiple this season. While in the past a lack of depth and playmaking might have forced Oregon into limited packages and vanilla schemes, now Lanning and his staff can explore the space a bit more, flexing their ingenuity on Saturday afternoons.

In the end, it’s about getting the right players into the right positions for the right situations.

“How can we do the best possible job as a staff to get some of these players out on the field, take ownership of specific packages, and highlight certain guys’ skill sets?” Lupoi asked, rhetorically. “We feel like multiple packages gives us an opportunity to do that.”

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So if you hold a metaphorical degree in Football 101, and pride yourself on being able to correctly identify the difference between a base 4-3 look with a spy, dissecting the Ducks’ defense this fall may be a bit overwhelming. It won’t be enough to identify when a nickel trots on the field, or an outside linebacker drops back in simulated pressure.

Not when we’re getting ready to see rabbits, raptors, and bears in Eugene.

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Relationships landed freshman S Peyton Woodyard in Eugene, says Tosh Lupoi

Oregon Ducks defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi said strong relationships helped land S Peyton Woodyard out of the transfer portal.

The Oregon Ducks’ 2024 recruiting class was signed, sealed, and delivered, going down in school history as the best that was ever put together in Eugene.

And then another massive addition came.

Following the conclusion of spring ball, former Alabama Crimson Tide freshman safety Peyton Woodyard entered the transfer portal. He did so with a “do not contact” tag, and quickly ended up in Eugene with the Ducks.

Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi says that it’s the relationships build between staff and player that helped that process take place so quickly.

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“We had a great past relationship,” Lupoi said on Thursday. “Coming from St. John Bosco, that’s also Matayo Uigalelei’s school. We’ve got a great relationship with that coaching staff a lot of respect there for Jason Negro and Chris King there and Coach Lowe. They do a hell of a job.”

As a former 4-star recruit who was rated as the No. 116 overall player in the 2024 class, the Ducks tried hard to land him out of high school. Instead, Woodyard chose Alabama but was forced to reconsider things after the legendary Nick Saban announced his retirement.

He stuck it out with former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer for the spring season but ultimately knew that Tuscaloosa was not where his heart was.

“We felt like we ended at number two in the process there in the recruitment,” Lupoi said. “I’m assuming he went through spring and, for whatever reason, felt like his heart wasn’t there. And when the transfer portal opened, he went into that portal. We obviously reached out to his coaches in school and wanted to reinforce that he has a home here.”

Now, Woodyard ends up back on the West Coast close to his home, and playing alongside his former high school teammate, Uiagalelei, with whom he won a state championship with at St. John Bosco.

The depth chart is relatively stacked at the safety position, with guys like Kobe Savage, Tysheem Johnson, and Brandon Johnson projected as the starters in 2024. But Woodyard has the talent to contribute, and he could contribute as soon as this year if all goes well.

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Oregon DC Tosh Lupoi breaks down every defensive signee in Ducks’ 2024 class

Oregon Ducks defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi broke down every defensive player who signed with the ducks in the 2024 class.

The Oregon Ducks put the final touches on the 2024 recruiting class on Wednesday morning, getting pen to paper for the final two members of a signing class that ranks as the best in school history.

With the addition of 5-star WR Gatlin Bair and kicker Gage Hurych, the Ducks’ 2024 class is now complete.

To celebrate this occasion, a group of Oregon coaches went on with Joey McMurry and Jerry Allen for the Ducks’ National Signing Day show on Oregon Sports Network. The guest list included head coach Dan Lanning, Chief of Staff Marshall Malchow, Offensive Coordinator Will Stein, and Defensive Coordinator Tosh Lupoi.

Both coordinators went through every signee on their side of the ball and broke down each individually while watching some film. Here’s what DC Tosh Lupoi had to say about his incoming players:

Oregon Ducks final defensive rankings in key stats at end of 2023 season

A look at where the Oregon Ducks’ defense ranks nationally in some key statistics after the 2023 season ended.

There’s still one game left on the schedule for the Oregon Ducks, where they will take on the Liberty Flames in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day. But in reality, the 2023 season has come to an end. While we may see guys like Brandon Dorlus and other starters for the Ducks, there will likely be several opt-outs before then, and the defense can expect to look quite a bit different than it did all season just based on personnel.

That means that at the moment, we have a really good look at just how good Oregon’s defense was during the 2023 season.

All year, we’ve been taking weekly snapshots of Oregon’s statistical rankings nationally in some key numbers that measure success. Now that 14 games have been played, we can really take stock of what the Ducks were able to accomplish, and how good they were on that side of the ball.

Here’s how Oregon ended up ranking nationally at the conclusion of the season.

Tosh Lupoi named one of top coaches of Week 13 after Ducks’ demolition of Oregon State

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit recognized Oregon DC Tosh Lupoi’s job against the Beavers last week.

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit put out his top performances among the coaching landscape and Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi was one of seven that was recognized.

The Ducks held Oregon State to a season-low seven points and 53 yards rushing in the 31-7 win in the Civil War that propelled Oregon into the Pac-12 championship game against Washington.

Lupoi’s defense has been outstanding all year long and for the first time in the program’s history, the Ducks led the Pac-12 in scoring defense. Oregon allowed 15.9 points a game this season. They also led the conference in allowing just 214.3 yards through the air.

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Where Oregon’s defense ranks nationally in key statistics after win over OSU

A look at where the Oregon Ducks defense ranks nationally in some key statistics after the win over the Oregon State Beavers.

A year ago, it was the Oregon State Beavers who proved to be a more physical team in the Civil War, running the ball 17 straight times in the fourth quarter to complete a big-time comeback and ruin the Oregon Ducks’ Cac-12 Championship hopes.

That wasn’t the case this year, with Tosh Lupoi and the Ducks’ defense stepping up in a major way, completely shutting down DJ Uiagalelei, Damien Martinez, and the rest of the Beavers’ offense while giving up just seven points and blowing out their in-state rivals.

It was the type of performance that makes a statement on a rivalry weekend where a lot of the top teams in the nation got pushed in close games.

It’s also the type of game that has Oregon’s defensive statistics rising in the national rankings. Here’s a look at where they now stand going into Conference Championship weekend.

No, Oregon fans should not worry about DC Tosh Lupoi taking the Oregon State job

Oregon Ducks’ DC Tosh Lupoi has been named a candidate for the Oregon State job, in the wake of Jonathan Smith’s departure.

Sometimes when you see a bit of news or speculation, you have to wave it off. In our world, anything is possible. But likely? That’s a different story.

On Saturday morning, it was officially announced that former Oregon State Beavers’ head coach Jonathan Smith would be taking over the top job for the Michigan State Spartans. He leaves his alma mater after six years, and three-consecutive bowl-eligible seasons.

With Smith gone, it has led to speculation on who the next guy will be in Corvallis as they conduct their national search for a new head coach. Many of the names being thrown out make some sense.

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Barry Odom? Sure. Trent Bray? Definitely. Ryan Grubb? Eh, probably not, but it’s worth a shot. There was one name that I saw thrown out on Saturday morning that made me laugh, though.

Oregon Ducks’ defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi.

No, that’s not happening.

In reality, when looking at who could fill this coaching job you first need to consider how good of a job it really is. Smith had the Beavers rolling, but with conference realignment pillaging the future of the program, it should no longer be held in high esteeem.

The Beavers don’t have a schedule for 2024. The Beavers don’t have a conference in the future. The Beavers don’t have a television partner. The Beavers will likely see their roster depleted via the transfer portal this offseason while players look to jump ship for better situations.

Why would Tosh Lupoi leave his job as the DC of one of the top defenses in the nation for a HC job at a Group of 5 school? I can’t see it happening.

Maybe I’m wrong, and maybe I end up eating my words in a few weeks’ time. I just would be shocked to see Lupoi leave Eugene for anything less than a prominent head coaching job at a Power 5 (or Power 4) conference going forward. With experience at Alabama, and in the NFL, and now with a team that is on the brink of a potential spot in the College Football Playoff, there will be multiple suitors down the road.

With a bit of time, Lupoi can have a lot of ADs calling his number.

Oregon State is not going to be the school to take him away from the Ducks.

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Oregon DC Tosh Lupoi faced USC’s Lincoln Riley in the 2018 Orange Bowl

A reunion, five years later.

Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi and USC head coach Lincoln Riley have gone up against each other before. In the 2018 Orange Bowl, a College Football Playoff semifinal game, Lupoi coordinated Alabama’s defense while Riley was the offensive play-caller for the Oklahoma Sooners. That same chess match will be on display this Saturday when Lupoi’s Oregon defense takes on Riley’s USC offense.

(h/t Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire) 

“Question: Tosh Lupoi faced Lincoln Riley back in the 2018 Sugar Bowl, do you pull anything from that meeting schematically in preparation for this game?

“I mean, ultimately, obviously, they’re really good on offense,” (Oregon coach Dan) Lanning replied. “Lincoln’s a great play-caller. He does a phenomenal job of scheming up plays, you know, game to game. I think he does a good job of keeping it simple and getting into the right looks, you know, they, they see you in certain looks, they take advantage of it. So, you know, overall, this is a really good offense, as good as we’ll see.”

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Where Oregon’s defense ranks nationally in key statistics after win over California

Where Oregon’s defense ranks nationally in key statistics after win over California

The number on the scoreboard may have read higher than Oregon’s defense usually has allowed this season, but when you consider the fact that one of California’s touchdowns came as a fumble returned for six, then it’s easy to see how dominant the Ducks’ defense was once again on Saturday.

The final score was 63-19, and it truthfully wasn’t even that close.

Tosh Lupoi’s unit did a great job of slowing down the Golden Bears’ rushing attack, and getting off of the field as much as they could, giving the ball back to Bo Nix and the elite offense.

Unsurprisingly, the performance allowed Oregon to move up in the national rankings when it comes to some key statistics. Here’s where they now stand after Week 10:

Where Oregon’s defense ranks nationally in key statistics after win over Utah

Where Oregon’s defense ranks nationally in key statistics after win over Utah

What the Oregon Ducks defense did on Saturday afternoon against the Utah Utes team will go down as one of the best performances of the year. Of course, there won’t be songs written about Utah’s offense under Bryson Barnes this season, but the fact that Tosh Lupoi’s unit was able to so completely shut down the Utes and keep them out of the endzone from start to finish is nothing to look past.

Unsurprisingly, the result boosted Oregon up in a ton of top statistics nationally, with the Utes only racking up 142 passing yards and 99 rushing yards on the day.

So just how good is Oregon’s defense now when we look at it from a national perspective? Take a look: